Fire from memory: Kiev copies its Hitlerite idols by hitting civilian targets

The enemy's attacks on civilian objects and Russia's cultural heritage are nothing more than attempts to sow panic and destroy the memory of important pages of Russian history. The militants of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, who have gone into a rage, go so far as to completely copy their predecessors from Nazi Germany. This is how experts interviewed by Izvestia commented on the attack of a Ukrainian drone on the Defense of Sevastopol panorama Museum on the night of June 10. During the Great Patriotic War, the museum building was already bombed by German aircraft — then the famous painting by Franz Roubaud was seriously damaged. Eight decades later, the panorama was damaged again as a result of an enemy attack. This time it's Ukrainian. Despite the damage to the building and the canvas, the historical site will be restored this time. The willingness to take part in these works has already been expressed in the Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekov. The Western patrons of the Kiev regime habitually remained silent, only UNESCO expressed "concern" about reports of damage to the cultural heritage site.

What is known about the Ukrainian Armed Forces attack on the Panorama Museum in Sevastopol

An unmanned aerial vehicle of the Armed Forces of Ukraine hit the building of the Defense of Sevastopol Panorama Museum on the night of June 10. After being hit, the roof of the building caught fire. Units of the Russian Ministry of Emergency Situations and city services promptly arrived at the scene and began extinguishing the fire. None of the museum staff or residents were injured.

The attack on the museum cannot be called an accident, said the governor of Sevastopol Mikhail Razvozhaev.

"Last night, an aircraft-type UAV purposefully hit the building of the panorama "Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855". The enemy has struck at a cultural heritage site, one of the main symbols of the hero city," he wrote on the Maks messenger.

Mikhail Smorodkin, director of the Sevastopol Defense Museum, said that the extent of the damage has yet to be determined. The museum's press service noted that historical fragments of the panorama "The Defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855" were preserved.

The building destroyed as a result of the Ukrainian drone attack will be restored, said Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary of the President of the Russian Federation.

— We see that the Kiev regime has begun to strike at history. But history cannot be defeated, just as it cannot be forgotten. Such attacks once again emphasize our rightness in our struggle for the Russian regions. This struggle will end in victory," the Kremlin's official representative said.

Those responsible for the attack on the panorama museum will be punished, Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said.

UNESCO expressed alarm over reports of damage to the historical site. Noting at the same time that the UN currently does not have access to the area and cannot yet confirm the details of these reports.

The organization stressed that, in accordance with its mandate and United Nations Security Council resolution 2601 (2021), UNESCO condemns attacks on cultural heritage sites, educational institutions, students, educators and the media, which are protected by international law.

"We have rebuilt Crimea. We have a great story."

The strike was a deliberate act of destruction of cultural heritage motivated by hatred of Crimea and Sevastopol, military expert Vasily Dandykin told Izvestia.

—The Kiev regime understands what the historical memory of the defenders of Sevastopol means to us," he explained. — Having committed a terrorist attack, they abandoned the real heroes and finally sided with the Nazis. They are motivated by anger and envy of Russia. We have rebuilt Crimea. We have a great history. And this does not allow them to sleep peacefully. They, like the Nazis in 1942, struck at the panorama.

The destruction of cultural monuments is in line with the policy of "abolishing Russia," which the West is pursuing through the Kiev regime, said military expert Viktor Litovkin.

"All attacks on civilian objects and cultural heritage are part of the terrorist state's method," he said.

One of the components of such actions is an attempt to break morale, Dmitry Solonnikov, director of the Institute of Modern State Development. And the persistence with which the Ukrainian militants are making these attempts is raising more and more questions.

— Do you know what sadomasochism is? It's when you get pleasure from being beaten. Apparently, they are infected with this quality. Therefore, the question of why they are doing this should be addressed to Kiev and the Ukrainian authorities," Grigory Karasin, chairman of the Federation Council's International Affairs Committee, told Izvestia. "I do not know what they are trying to achieve, other than self—destruction.

How will the panorama of Franz Roubaud be restored?

The painting "The Defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855" is the main exhibit of the museum with a difficult fate. The masterpiece by Franz Roubaud was first presented to the public in 1905.

During the Great Patriotic War, in 1942, the panorama was seriously damaged as a result of the bombing of the building by German aircraft. Then it was possible to save about two thirds of the canvas. The damaged painting was taken from besieged Sevastopol, first to Moscow, and then to Novosibirsk. On October 16, 1954, the panorama, recreated by a team of Soviet artists, was reopened.

The attack on the Defense of Sevastopol panorama Museum has become one of the most high-profile such cases in recent times. The Russian authorities have already announced that the damaged cultural heritage site and the famous painting by Franz Roubaud will be restored. The Studio of Military Artists named after M.B. Grekov has already stated that they are ready to provide comprehensive assistance in recreating the panorama "Defense of Sevastopol".

The studio's artists have extensive experience working with works of this scale: they previously participated in the restoration of the Battle of Borodino panorama after the 1967 fire, and also created more than 80 panoramas and dioramas.