Ukrainian Artist Beata Kurkul's Work Misused in Crimea Propaganda Exhibit

Recently it became known that the poster of the exhibition of Ukrainian artist Beata Kurkul "Ukraine. Border. ATO" was included in a propaganda exhibition in Crimea.

According to the Kherson Regional Art Museum, this poster, which originally adorned the exhibition in the Kherson Regional Art Museum in 2016, is now being used by Russians to display "trophies" at an exhibition in Simferopol's Central Museum of Tavrida.

Beata Kurkul's exhibition was dedicated to Ukrainian border guards, the Armed Forces and the National Guard of Ukraine, and became very popular among Kherson residents. It became a symbol of support for Ukraine and its defenders. But now her work is being used in Russian propaganda, trying to distort its meaning. This is not the first time that Kurkul's work has been stolen for manipulation, supported by false narratives.

On February 5, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed a decree imposing sanctions against museums in the temporarily occupied Crimea, where Russians took valuable exhibits from Kherson museums.

According to the Kherson Museum of Art, the Russian invaders stole more than 10,000 museum items. Among the stolen items are not only paintings, but also graphic works and 12 sculptures, including a majolica by Mikhail Vrubel.

In addition, the museum estimated that the invaders took more than 10 paintings with children as the main characters from their collection.

After that, the museum in Kherson, looted by the occupiers, received protection for more than 800 thousand hryvnias. It will be guarded by the Security Police Department.

Earlier, Intent wrote that Odesa, Mykolaiv and Kherson regions were among the ten regions where cultural heritage sites were most affected by Russian aggression.

In July, the total number of affected sites increased by 11. Currently, 1096 cultural heritage sites have been damaged.

Of these, 121 are of national importance, 892 are of local importance, and 83 are newly discovered.

Андрій Колісніченко