Surviving bust of Ukrainian historical figure removed out of rubble of Russian-hit museum in Lviv – video

A surviving bronze bust of General-Khorunzhyi (Brigadier General) Roman Shukhevych has been recovered out of the rubble of the Museum of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA), destroyed by the Russians on 1 January (UPA is a WWII-era paramilitary force seeking Ukrainian independence; it engaged in partisan warfare against both German and Soviet occupying forces. Roman Shukhevych was a key leader in the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. He played a crucial part in the struggle for Ukrainian independence, guiding UPA forces through partisan warfare – ed.).

Lviv Historical Museum, which includes the Shukhevych Museum, reported the news.

"Having cleared the rubble of the Museum of the UPA Brigadier General Roman Shukhevych, our museum team managed to save a bronze bust by Mykhailo Chereshnovskyi," the historical museum said.

The museum workers say the sculpture of the brigadier general suffered only minor damage.

Maksym Kozytskyi, Head of Lviv Oblast Military Administration, also spread the word.

"You know that the wreckage of the enemy Shaheds destroyed the museum of the UPA's Brigadier General Roman Shukhevych in Bilohorshcha [area in the city of Lviv] ... Yet, there is a real miracle: the bust of Roman Shukhevych by Mykhailo Chereshnovskyi, which was thought to have been lost in the attack on the museum, has actually survived! It was found under the rubble. The bust has minor damage, but it survived!", said Kozytskyi.

The official noted that Shukhevych's bust, which was rescued after the Russian attack, is now in the collections of the Lviv Historical Museum.

The bust, designed by sculptor Chereshnovskyi, was donated to the Lviv Historical Museum by the Brigadier General Taras Chuprynka UPA Soldiers Society in the United States specifically for the Museum of the UPA Brigadier General Roman Shukhevych in Bilohorshcha, which was established in 2001.

The museum has been digitised

After the attack on the Shukhevych Memorial Museum, the Lviv-based Skeiron bureau, which digitises Ukrainian cultural heritage sites, reported on social media that it had managed to make a digital model of the UPA Brigadier General's house, which was destroyed on 1 January.

"This is a deliberate blow to the history of our liberation struggle, but fortunately, we created a 3D tour of the museum in 2021 together with the Lviv Historical Museum," the bureau said and shared a link to the museum tour.

About the Roman Shukhevych Museum

The Museum of Roman Shukhevych was established as a department of the Lviv Historical Museum. It was located in Lviv at 76A Bilohorshcha Street.

It was in this two-storey building that Shukhevych was killed during a shootout with officers of the Soviet Union's Ministry of State Security.

The Shukhevych Museum in Lviv.

Photo: SERP75DNIPRO / Wikipedia

The museum's ground floor housed an exhibition dedicated to the life of the UPA brigadier general. Each of the five halls was dedicated to a different topic: the history of the Shukhevych family, their struggle for the national idea, the documents of the brigadier general and the birth of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army. The second covered the activities of the UPA headquarters.

Learn more: Ukraine's national monument damaged during Russian attacks

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