Over 120 Ukrainian artists killed in war - minister

As many as 123 Ukrainian artists have been killed in the war, defending Ukraine with weapons in their hands.

The Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Mykola Tochytskyi, said this on Ukrainian television, Ukrinform reports.

"This war is really aimed at destroying everything Ukrainian: Ukrainian culture, language, identity. We already have our own shot generation of artists. These are 123 artists who defended our history with weapons in their hands," Tochytskyi said.

He noted that the issue of preserving Ukrainian identity, which is part of the great European heritage, is a task of national security.

"In general, our colleagues clearly understand that this war has serious signs of genocide. And we will do everything to ensure that it is presented in this way in international judicial institutions," the minister said.

According to him, the issue of strategy is being discussed at the meetings with Western partners in terms of how to make it possible to not only preserve what is left, but also to return those legacies that remained in the occupied territories.