Cultural Front: How Europe Helps Preserve Ukrainian Identity During War

July 28, 2025.

    While Ukrainian cities hold the defense and local communities restore the destroyed, another frontline—less visible but no less vital—remains active every day: the cultural front. The destruction of libraries, museums, archives, churches, art schools, and landmarks has become a central tactic of the aggressor. But Europe is standing up against this force—with understanding, resources, and solidarity.
    
    At the end of July, a major initiative was launched: Team Europe for Cultural Heritage in Ukraine, uniting 22 EU member states. The goal is to implement more than 60 projects aimed at preserving Ukraine’s cultural heritage, damaged both by direct missile strikes and the long-term humanitarian catastrophe of war.
    
    Key areas of action include not just saving buildings, but strategic sectoral support:
    
    training and retraining cultural professionals through scholarships and workshops
    
    protection and exhibition of historical monuments
    
    building international cooperation to exchange experience and resources
    
    Additionally, €2 million has been allocated under the EU’s Creative Europe program to support Ukraine’s cultural and creative sectors—an essential lifeline during the difficult years from 2022 to 2025.
    
    European Assistance in Numbers
    Since 2022, the EU has directed more than €85 million toward humanitarian, educational, and cultural programs in Ukraine. Notably:
    
    About €11 million was spent on the preservation and digitalization of museum collections
    
    Over 30 Ukrainian cultural institutions were integrated into European mobility programs
    
    Creative Europe supported 120 Ukrainian applications in two years—an unprecedented figure
    
    While Russia destroys, Europe protects, heals, and helps preserve what makes up our cultural DNA.
    
    Journalist’s Reflection – Svitlana Kaminets
    "We often consider culture something secondary or optional. But the war has shown that it's the first thing the enemy attacks to break us. If a nation loses its memory, it becomes controllable. European aid is not only about restoring churches or conserving paintings—it’s about restoring national resilience. About the right to be Ukrainian—with our language, art, and traditions. And I am deeply grateful that Europe understands this."
    
    Why It Matters Now
    According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, over 1,800 cultural heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed since the war began. Temples, museums, theaters, historical buildings—many irreparable.
    
    But it’s not just about counting losses. It’s about looking forward. That’s why European support is so meaningful—it ensures that after victory, we will have both what and whom to rebuild for—not just buildings, but collective memory and identity.
    
    Looking Ahead
    "We will continue to protect, promote, and restore Ukrainian culture and heritage—for the resilience of Ukraine and our shared European future," emphasized Glenn Micallef, EU Commissioner for Youth and Culture.
    
    These are not just diplomatic statements—they reflect a long-term strategic vision: Ukrainian culture has already become part of Europe. Protecting it is not only Ukraine’s task, but Europe’s shared responsibility.