Ukraine's Culture Minister resigns after "misunderstanding" about the importance of culture during war

Ukrainian Minister of Culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko, announced his resignation from his position on Friday due to what he described as a "misunderstanding" regarding the use of public funds to finance cultural projects at a time when Kyiv is facing the Russian invasion.

Tkachenko wrote on Telegram, "I submitted my resignation to the Prime Minister on Thursday due to a series of events that included a misunderstanding about the importance of culture during the war."

He added, "During the war, the budget and funds allocated to culture are no less important than those allocated to drones because culture is our identity and borders."

President Volodymyr Zelensky called on Thursday for the replacement of the Minister of Culture, criticizing his spending of money from the general budget on cultural projects at the expense of defense.

In his daily address, Zelensky said, "In times of war like the one we are going through, the state must dedicate its attention and resources to defense."

He considered that "museums, cultural centers, landmarks, and television series are all important, but now there are other priorities," calling for seeking resources for them outside the state budget instead of using state funds.

He also mentioned that he asked Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to replace Tkachenko.

Ukrainska Pravda media outlet reported that the Ministry of Culture decided to allocate 448 million hryvnias (about 11 million euros) for the production of television series.

According to Radio Free Europe, the outgoing Minister of Culture also emphasized the idea of allocating 500 million hryvnias (12 million euros) to complete the construction of the Holodomor National Museum, commemorating the victims of the famine caused by the Soviet authorities in the early 1930s in Ukraine, which led to the death of millions of people.

Tkachenko stated, "If someone says that the museum should not be built during the war, let them present other arguments besides the need to spend money on reconstruction because it is available," according to an article published on Thursday.



AFP