Ukraine receives first contributions to Cultural Heritage Fund - DPM Berezhna

At a press conference in Copenhagen, where the meeting is taking place, she expressed her gratitude to Denmark and European Commissioner Glen McCall for their support in restoring Ukraine's cultural heritage, according to a Ukrinform correspondent.

“The Russian Federation is deliberately attacking Ukraine on a daily basis, and as of now, 1,612 cultural heritage sites throughout Ukraine have been damaged,” Berezhna said.

She stressed that Russia is attacking not only Ukraine's energy infrastructure but also its culture, “because they know that this is a matter of national identity and national security.”

“We understand that Ukraine is the eastern gateway to Europe. We are at war and fighting for all the democratic values that Europe has,” the deputy prime minister said.

"It is a privilege for us to launch the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund. The idea of creating the fund was proposed earlier this year in Uzhhorod. It was also announced at the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Rome this year, and just last week we registered the fund as a legal entity," Berezhna emphasized.

She noted that the initial promises and support of Ukrainian partners are “a great example for all other countries that want to support Ukrainian heritage.”

The Deputy Prime Minister stressed the importance of supporting and investing in Ukraine's creative industries, as they contribute to Ukraine's GDP during the war and create jobs.

As reported by Ukrinform, Denmark, together with the Netherlands, called on other EU member states to contribute to the restoration of Ukraine's cultural heritage amid ongoing Russian attacks, as stated by Danish Minister of Culture Jakob Engel-Schmidt.

Photo: facebook.com/berezhna.tetyana