Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko announced on July 21 that he had submitted his resignation.
"Tonight (on July 20) I brought a letter of resignation to the prime minister because of a wave of misunderstanding about the importance of culture during the war," Tkachenko wrote. "Later I was surprised by the president's statement on the same issue."
In his July 20 evening address, President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that he had asked Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal to consider replacing Tkachenko.
Zelensky stressed that this was related to the minister’s decisions on allocating state funds. Earlier, the minister proposed allocating over Hr 500 million ($13.54 million) to finish the construction of the National Memorial Museum of Holodomor.
“I have proposed two steps to the head of government: to find non-state funding for projects that are genuinely necessary, as there are potential supporters around the world,” the president said.
"I would also like to appeal to all local authorities in our country: people should feel that budget resources are used fairly and properly," Zelensky added. "Everyone understands what we are talking about. Paving stones, city decorations, and fountains can wait till after the victory."
In his post, Tkachenko said that "culture is important in times of war" because it is a war not only for territories, but "for people, and people are our memory, history, language, creativity despite the war, heritage, and the past for the sake of the future."
"Both private and budget funds are no less important during the war for culture than for drones, because culture is the shield of our identity and our borders. And this is my principled position against others."
Alexander Khrebet
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