The concept of "genocide" was introduced by the Polish lawyer Raphael Lemkin. He also developed the concept of cultural genocide as a means of non-physical destruction of national groups, and also identified two phases of it. The first involves "the destruction of the national model of the oppressed group", and the second - "the imposition of the national model of the oppressor". Lemkin used his concept to analyze the German occupation policy in Europe during World War II.

From Lemkin's concept it follows that cultural genocide can include the systematic and purposeful destruction of both material and intangible cultural heritage. Researchers argue that a striking example of such actions is Russia's centuries-old policy aimed at the destruction of the Ukrainian people, which continues to be implemented during the full-scale invasion since February 2022.

At the same time, the aggressor country's systematic steps to erase the national culture and identity of the Ukrainian people both precede and accompany acts of physical/biological destruction. Thus, the act of cultural genocide – “de-Ukrainization” – is combined with intimidation, the use of physical force, restriction of will, kidnappings, torture, murders, etc.

The aggressor country uses a wide range of diverse techniques, including:

• public calls by representatives of the Russian authorities to destroy Ukrainians;
• distortion and appropriation of facts from history, achievements in the fields of science, culture and art of Ukraine;
• robbery of museums and targeted theft of artifacts indicating the ancient history of Ukrainians;
• banning the use of the Ukrainian language, removing Ukrainian books from libraries and destroying them;
• persecution and destruction of people with a pro-Ukrainian position in the occupied territories;
• deportation of children without parents to Russia in order to change their identity;
• the extermination of the intelligentsia: teachers, artists, people who are carriers of Ukrainian culture and educate others in it;
• the destruction of the intangible cultural heritage, which is manifested in oral traditions and forms of expression, including language, performing arts, customs, rituals, celebrations; traditional knowledge, practices and crafts;
• destruction of cultural heritage sites (from February 24, 2022 to January 25, 2024, the Russian Federation destroyed or damaged 902 cultural heritage sites for a total of over $19 billion);
• segregation of residents of the occupied territories from the information space of Ukraine, etc.

The next phase of the cultural genocide of the Ukrainian people can be considered the urgent introduction of Russian standards of education and upbringing in educational institutions in the occupied territories, aimed at changing the identity of children; introduction of education in the Russian language with a Russian ideological orientation based on propaganda textbooks by Russian authors, sending Russian teachers to the occupied territories of Ukraine for the further integration of the identity bearers of the aggressor state.

The same goal is served by the use of the Russian Orthodox Church as a tool of influence to continue the propaganda of the neo-imperial ideology of the "Russian world".

Russia will be held accountable for committing crimes of cultural genocide, and further scientific and expert research will open up opportunities to actualize the issues of restitution of cultural values, payment of compensation for damage caused to Ukrainian culture and identity.

Yaroslava Riznikova,
Deputy Director of the Department - Head of the Department of Culture,
Nationalities and Religions of the Odessa Regional Military (State) Administration