On a sunny Saturday, crowds are gathering outside the historic Ukrainian National Opera House in the heart ofKyiv.
The patrons greet each other in a hug. After the ballet, which is scheduled to begin in the middle of the afternoon, some people are holding fresh flowers to give to dancers.
Valeriia Podemok came with her friends to support her art, even when her rockets and missiles landed in Ukrainian homes and businesses.
"Russia wants to destroy our culture and language. We want to do everything to support and protect it," she told Global News in an interview. rice field.
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Another woman became emotional when asked why she attended the performance.
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Frequently touching the heart when speaking, the woman explains that her grandson is fighting in the war .. She said she needed to escape a little from her fears and worries.
The country has fought the Second War since Russia invaded Ukraine in February, attacked houses and businesses, and occupied Ukraine's territory. It's about protecting your cultural identity, and I agree that many are under attack.
"They are trying to steal everything," said mezzo-soprano Katerina Zimbariuk, who plays in Odessa's opera.
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Tsimbaliuk told Global News that the national arts agency is fighting back. She turned to other countries for help.
"Ukraine is a shield for the whole of Europe because no one knows if he (Vladimirputin) will stop here in Ukraine. I don't know how far he will go. He won't stop." She said in an interview.
The Russian president has publicly stated that he does not believe that Ukraine is really another country.
"Russian propaganda planes say Ukraine has no culture, identity or history," says Darina Pidhorna, a lawyer at the Regional Human Rights Center.
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"Should be destroyed, bombarded, looted," she said. Said in an interview. Russia's intention to wipe out its own cultural institutions.
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Museums, galleries and other cultural centers were severely damaged by the Russian attack.
They include at least 25 works by self-taught folk artist Maria Prymahenko, whose colorful paintings depict everyday life in Ukraine. They were burned by Russian troops who attacked the Ivankifu Museum of History and Regional History.
The Kuindz Museum in Mariupol was destroyed on March 21, when the eastern port city was bombarded. It contained a painting by Ukrainian realist Arkhip Kuindz.
The Russian attack also damaged the Chernihiv Regional Museum, the Kharkiv Museum, and the Fryholly Skoboroda National Literary Memorial Museum in Skoborodinifka.
Skovoroda is considered to be famous for redefining Ukrainian cultural identity. 2022 is the 300th anniversary of his birth.
"It's clearly a war crime and a crime against humanity," Pidohorna said.
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There is nothing new for Olesya Ostrovska-Lyuta, director of Mystetskyi Arsenal in Kyiv and former Deputy Minister of Culture.
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"This war is all about identity. Ukraine does not exist, Ukrainians are another society, another It's about the Russian idea that it doesn't exist as a country, "she said in an interview.
Mystetskyi Arsenal recently held an exhibition of contemporary art called "Exhibition on Our Feelings". It encourages Ukrainian visitors to speak up about how the war is affecting them.
"People need to feel and speak about their feelings. This is an exhibition about it," said the institution responsible for the education program at an institution described as a major cultural institution in Ukraine. Anastasia Yabronska said.
Due to safety concerns, many galleries and theaters are still closed. The government wants that to change.
"We believe that cultural institutions should be operated if possible despite the war. It is most important for the people to participate," said Ukraine's Deputy Minister of Cultural Information. Says Taras Shevchenko.
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At the opera house, despite the risks, many Ukrainians seem to agree. At least five attendees were injured when Russian missiles attacked Kieu, the first attack on the Ukrainian capital in a few weeks, on Sunday.
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