International Online Conference: “The Russian Model of Cultural Heritage Destruction During War: The Case of Mariupol”, April 16

The Raphael Lemkin Society, the Mariupol Museum of Local Lore, and the Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab (HeMo) cordially invite you to join the international online conference “The Russian Model of Cultural Heritage Destruction During War: The Case of Mariupol” on Thursday, April 16.

Focusing on Mariupol, the conference will examine how Russia systematically targets cultural heritage sites, institutions, and spaces of cultural and social life as an instrument of modern warfare. 

The Donetsk region has suffered the highest number of damaged cultural institutions in Ukraine, with Mariupol among the hardest-hit cities. In 2022, Mariupol lost a significant part of its cultural heritage, including the Mariupol Museum of Local Lore, the Drama Theater, and much of the historic architecture in the city center. Because the city remains under Russian occupation, the full extent of these losses cannot yet be determined, though available evidence already points to catastrophic destruction.

At a time when the destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage continues and many losses remain impossible to fully assess, the conference will bring together museum professionals, researchers, legal experts, and cultural heritage specialists to examine the loss of Mariupol’s cultural and historical heritage, legal instruments for its protection, the role of digital preservation, and the international response to Russian aggression against Ukrainian culture.

Time: 
4:00–7:00 p.m. (Kyiv), 3:00–6:00 p.m. (Brussels), 9:00 a.m.–12:00 p.m. (Washington, DC)

Speakers:

• Nataliia Aruslanova, Staff Member and Curator of the Digital Catalog Project, Mariupol Museum of Local Lore
• Tess Davis, Executive Director, The Antiquities Coalition
• Brian Daniels, Director of Research and Programs, Penn Cultural Heritage Center, University of Pennsylvania Museum
• Katharyn Hanson, Head of Research, Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative – Museum Conservation Institute
• Olha Khronenko, Associate Professor, Department of Cultural Studies, Mariupol State University; Junior Research Fellow, Mariupol Museum of Local Lore
• Daryna Pidhorna, Lawyer and Analyst, Raphael Lemkin Society
• Vasyl Rozhko, Director and Chair of the Board, HeMo: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab
• Maria Sliota, Director, Mariupol Museum of Local Lore
• Valentyna Yefimova, Specialist in Documenting Cultural Heritage Losses, Raphael Lemkin Society

Moderator: 
Anastasiia Oleksii, Executive Director of the Raphael Lemkin Society

Registration:
Participation is limited to registered attendees. Please complete this registration form by 11:59 p.m. Kyiv time on Tuesday, April 14. Registered participants will receive instructions for joining the conference online.

We would be grateful if you would join us for this important discussion.

With warm regards from Ukraine,

The Raphael Lemkin Society
The Mariupol Museum of Local Lore
The Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab (HeMo)