Exhibition “In memory of cultural workers...”

6 November 2025 year in the Chernihiv regional historical museum named after. The exhibition "In memory of cultural workers..." opened by V. V. Tarnovsky, dedicated to the memory of our colleagues, who died as a result of Russian aggression.

Totalitarian regimes, aggressors are always enemies of humanism, culture in its broad sense. This is very well known from the history of the Ukrainian people of the 20th century, when in the 1920s and 1930s the Stalinist regime in the USSR destroyed generations of Ukrainian artists, scientific and cultural and educational centers and schools, accusing them of "bourgeois nationalism", and in the 1960s and early 1980s, the authorities repressed the Ukrainian dissident movement. Therefore, even today, the Russian Federation is a terrorist country that destroys the cultural elite and the cultural infrastructure of Ukraine.

From the beginning of the full-scale invasion of the Russian troops into Ukraine, the war took away 236 (data on 4 November 2025 year) cultural workers - employees of theaters, philharmonic hall, musical groups, film studio, publishing houses, музеїв, бібліотек, writers, художників, photo artists. Chernihiv region lost its 21st cultural worker. The proposed exhibition is dedicated to their bright memory.

Joined the ranks of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and died, defending the native land from the enemy, colleagues from Chernihiv Art School, Sosnytskyi and Minsk local history museums, "Hannina Pustin" and "Kachanivka" nature reserves; actors and workers from Chernihiv theaters - regional academic, youth and Nizhny Novgorod, regional philharmonic center; employees of cultural institutions from Stolny, Pryluk and Nizhina. Culture workers in Chernihiv died during enemy shelling, Semenivtsi, Novgorod-Seversky, Turnips, Talalaiv residents of Nizhyn district.

During this time, more than 2415 (data for October 2025 year) objects of cultural infrastructure of Ukraine. In Chernihiv Oblast, as a result of Russian aggression, they were destroyed or semi-destroyed 118 закладів культури.

Photos presented at the exhibition, documents, personal things tell about the irreversible losses of the people of Chernihiv. At the same time, in spite of everything, Chernihiv region continues to fight, work and live, honoring fallen compatriots and restoring cultural institutions.

The museum expresses its sincere thanks for the help in creating the exhibition: to the families of the victims; Department of Culture and Tourism, nationalities and religions of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration; district departments of culture; colleagues of the dead; Fund for the Preservation of Ukrainian Antiquities; NGO "Wow Ukraine".

At the opening of the exhibition there were families of dead, друзі, colleagues, public representatives and authorities. Ivan Vashchenko, deputy head of the Chernihiv Regional State Administration, came to pay his respects to the fallen cultural workers and offer words of support to their families, The first deputy chairman of the Chernihiv Regional Council Nina Lemesh, Director of the Department of Culture and Tourism, of Nationalities and Religions of the ODA Lyudmila Zamai. Relatives and colleagues also shared warm memories of the deceased. The opening of the exhibition was attended by the artists of the Bandurist Chapel named after. О. Veresaya. The event was hosted by Honored Artist of Ukraine Oleksiy Bysh.

A low bow to the parents and families of the victims.

We remember everyone.

Lesya Svitlovska, head of the scientific exhibition department