Russia Is Erasing Ukrainian Culture: A Leading Dutch Newspaper on Russia’s Erasure of Ukrainian Culture

In a powerful article for NRC, journalist Floris Akkerman describes the systematic looting and destruction of Ukrainian museums during Russia’s occupation, focusing on the Regional Museum of Local History in Kherson.

The article follows museum director Olha Honcharova through empty exhibition halls after more than 23,000 artifacts were taken during the occupation, and traces how cultural theft, historical falsification, and targeted destruction form part of a broader attempt to erase Ukrainian identity.

It also features Vitali Tytych, Chair of the Board of the Raphael Lemkin Society, who documents cultural crimes near the front line and explains how attacks on culture help establish genocidal intent under international law.

“As far as the Russian government is concerned, there is no Ukrainian culture, nation, or history. Therefore, Russia erases all traces of Ukrainian cultural presence and historical memory,” Vitali Tytych says.

Drawing on legal analysis and international frameworks, the article situates Ukraine’s experience within a wider pattern of war crimes against cultural heritage and highlights growing international recognition.

The NRC piece underscores a central truth of Raphael Lemkin’s legacy: the destruction of culture is never incidental. It is a warning sign of crimes against a people.