In Lithuania, 100 Museums Fundraising to Help Museums in Ukraine

A campaign in support of Ukraine entitled "Ukrainian Culture Has Nothing to Defend Itself" was launched the day before in the House of Signals of the National Museum of Lithuania. This was reported by LRT.

Fundraising for Ukrainian museums will last until 26 December. The funds raised will be used to purchase restoration equipment and materials. All tools for the preservation of cultural heritage will be sent to the National Museum of History of Ukraine, from where they will be transferred to other Ukrainian museums.

The presentation of the initiative was attended by the Director General of the Lithuanian National Museum, Ruta Kackute, who called on Lithuanians to join in supporting Ukraine.

"It is no coincidence that we are presenting this support action in the House of Signals, where the flag from Bakhmut, which came to Lithuania from the front, is hung. This place symbolises the values that are important to us and to Europe, and for which Ukraine is now fighting - freedom, democracy and civil rights. We urge the people of Lithuania not to remain indifferent to the cultural vandalism and destruction by Russia - the history of our own country shows how important it is to preserve the past for the sake of the future," she said.

The presentation was also joined by Monika Garbacijauskaite-Budriene, CEO of LRT and member of the Board of the European Broadcasting Union, and Edmundas Jakilaitis, founder of the Strong Together project.

"History does not die, as Ukrainians are fighting today, but it can disappear or be destroyed. This initiative will help protect the Ukrainian heritage from Russian terror, and everyone's contribution is very important. I know that the people of our country will continue the mission of helping until victory," said Jakilaitis.

The project involves 100 Lithuanian museums. During the campaign, visitors and residents of Lithuania can donate 5 euros by calling 1409 or make a charitable contribution on the website of the National Museum.

The initiative "Ukrainian Culture Has Nothing to Defend Itself" is organised by the Lithuanian National Museum, LRT and the refugee support organisation Strong Together. The partners of the campaign are the Association of Lithuanian Museums and the Lithuanian National Commission for UNESCO.

Since the beginning of Russia's war against Ukraine, UNESCO has recorded damage to 329 sites in Ukraine. Among them are 28 museums.

According to the latest data from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, more than 1,700 cultural infrastructure facilities in Ukraine have been damaged by Russian actions.

According to the 1954 Hague Convention, the deliberate targeting of cultural and religious sites that are not military objectives is prohibited under international humanitarian law.