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“The walls saw a great man, now they are gone”. Photo report from the destroyed Roman Shukhevych Museum in Lviv

2.1.2024
2
min read

On New Year's Eve, from 4:00 to 6:00 hours, the Lviv region was attacked by Shahed drones. “According to preliminary information, 10 “Shahedeen” attacked our region. No casualties,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. All enemy drones shot down the military PVC “West” and mobile fire groups.

The wreckage of the UAV hit the museum of the General Choronian UPA Roman Shukhevych on Belogorshcha Street and the university in Dubliany (a suburb of Lviv), where the leader of OUN Stepan Bandera studied 100 years ago.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv

Fortunately, there were no casualties. Andriy Sadovyi reported that several private buildings were damaged in the suburbs of Lviv, and the Shukhevych Museum was completely destroyed.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv

When photographer Roman Baluk arrived at the scene, firefighters were already rolling up their sleeves, and there were still confused people around.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv

For Roman Baluk, the museum is a special place. The photographer, like Shukhevich, was the custodian of one of the Chornomorets hut general.

“The museum in Belogorshche is quite an emotional place for me. On several occasions, my friends and I organized various events there. So, upon learning of the damage to the building as a result of the drone attack, there were immediately some inexplicable sensations inside. Although it is not my home, it is not a completely foreign place,” says the photographer.

Photo by Roman Baluk

According to museum staff, all valuables were hidden at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. However, at the site of the ruins, Roman Baluk was still looking for elements “that could be visually hooked”.

“The walls saw a great man, now there are none. But it will not affect the meaning and content of history. I took photos and thought that just in the new museum there would be an additional room with the history of this shelling, and maybe even with these photos,” says Roman Baluk.

The agrarian university, whose student at one time was Stepan Bandera, also suffered destruction.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv region, Dubliany

The shock wave knocked out the roof in several buildings and windows in the dormitories, and partially damaged the hospital, chapel and residential buildings nearby. Nevertheless, the monument to the leader of OUN symbolically remained intact.

The material was created with the support of The Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.

The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar

On New Year's Eve, from 4:00 to 6:00 hours, the Lviv region was attacked by Shahed drones. “According to preliminary information, 10 “Shahedeen” attacked our region. No casualties,” Lviv Mayor Andriy Sadovyi said. All enemy drones shot down the military PVC “West” and mobile fire groups.

The wreckage of the UAV hit the museum of the General Choronian UPA Roman Shukhevych on Belogorshcha Street and the university in Dubliany (a suburb of Lviv), where the leader of OUN Stepan Bandera studied 100 years ago.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv

Fortunately, there were no casualties. Andriy Sadovyi reported that several private buildings were damaged in the suburbs of Lviv, and the Shukhevych Museum was completely destroyed.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv

When photographer Roman Baluk arrived at the scene, firefighters were already rolling up their sleeves, and there were still confused people around.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv

For Roman Baluk, the museum is a special place. The photographer, like Shukhevich, was the custodian of one of the Chornomorets hut general.

“The museum in Belogorshche is quite an emotional place for me. On several occasions, my friends and I organized various events there. So, upon learning of the damage to the building as a result of the drone attack, there were immediately some inexplicable sensations inside. Although it is not my home, it is not a completely foreign place,” says the photographer.

Photo by Roman Baluk

According to museum staff, all valuables were hidden at the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion. However, at the site of the ruins, Roman Baluk was still looking for elements “that could be visually hooked”.

“The walls saw a great man, now there are none. But it will not affect the meaning and content of history. I took photos and thought that just in the new museum there would be an additional room with the history of this shelling, and maybe even with these photos,” says Roman Baluk.

The agrarian university, whose student at one time was Stepan Bandera, also suffered destruction.

Photo by Roman Baluk. Lviv region, Dubliany

The shock wave knocked out the roof in several buildings and windows in the dormitories, and partially damaged the hospital, chapel and residential buildings nearby. Nevertheless, the monument to the leader of OUN symbolically remained intact.

The material was created with the support of The Foundation for Polish-German Cooperation.

The material was worked on:
Researcher of the topic, author of the text: Vira Labych
Bildeditor: Vyacheslav Ratynskyi
Literary Editor: Julia Futei
Site Manager: Vladislav Kuhar

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