Bakhmut Museum of Local Lore, Donetsk Region
A story of support for a city that was wiped off the map. The town of Bakhmut, which we wrote about as a city in September 2022, is now a ruin.
At that time, Olena Smyrnova, director of the Bakhmut Museum of Local Lore, shared the information:
"Unfortunately, there is no communication in Bakhmut - the occupiers are destroying the ancient city, the first capital of Donetsk region, every hour, with a special hatred for the first Ukrainian flag, for the Cossack fortress.
There are only 1️2 employees left in the city - scientists, curators, and caretakers of the Bakhmut Museum of Local Lore. Despite the shelling, museum workers evacuated 8️4️ percent of the main fund items.
The furniture and decorations were brought down to the basement, where round-the-clock security was organized. The windows smashed by the explosions were sewn up, and the cracks in the roof were sealed with foam.
We will use the money to buy stoves and medicines.
Glory to Ukraine. We will win and rebuild our city, our museum, our country."
PS. We publish the stories of our fellow museum workers with their permission, and only when they believe that there is no threat to their lives and the lives of their loved ones.