Kyiv: On Thursday, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky urged his government to exercise extreme restraint when it comes to spending during a time of war. In response to this request, the minister of culture, who had supported several high-profile and expensive projects, offered his resignation.
In reference to a conversation he had earlier with Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal, Zelensky said in his nightly video address that "the maximum amount of state attention and therefore state resources should go to defense.
He instructed Shmyhal to look for alternative sources of funding for initiatives "that are really necessary. This holds true across many domains, including culture. Although we have other priorities, museums, cultural centers, symbols, and television shows are important.
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Before entering politics, Zelensky was a popular television comedian. He claimed to have pleaded with local councils to exercise restraint so that "people feel that budget resources are used fairly and correctly...Fountains, city accents, and cobblestones will have to wait. winning first.
He also requested that Shmyhal "consider replacing" Olexander Tkachenko, the minister of culture and information policy.
Within an hour, Tkachenko claimed to have submitted his letter of resignation while adamantly defending his initiatives.
Before entering politics, Tkachenko oversaw a television network. He wrote on Telegram, "Culture in wartime is important as this war is not just about territory but also people — our memory, history, language and creativity despite the war."
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In a time of war, state and private funding for culture is just as crucial as funding for drones. Our borders and sense of self are protected by our culture.
No one knew if his resignation had been accepted or not.
Tkachenko, a prominent public figure, had earlier in the day defended the spending of the equivalent of $13.5 million to finish a museum dedicated to the artificial famine that occurred in Ukraine in the 1930s as a result of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's collectivization drive.
A project to replace the Soviet-era coat of arms on the shield of the 102-meter (335-foot) tall "Motherland" statue of a woman outside the city's World War Two museum was also promoted by him. He claimed that it was privately funded.
In a time of war, state and private funding for culture is just as crucial as funding for drones. Our borders and sense of self are protected by our culture.
No one knew if his resignation had been accepted or not.
Tkachenko, a prominent public figure, had earlier in the day defended the spending of the equivalent of $13.5 million to finish a museum dedicated to the artificial famine that occurred in Ukraine in the 1930s as a result of Soviet dictator Josef Stalin's collectivization drive.
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A project to replace the Soviet-era coat of arms on the shield of the 102-meter (335-foot) tall "Motherland" statue of a woman outside the city's World War Two museum was also promoted by him. He claimed that it was privately funded
Additionally, Tkachenko had promoted movies and television shows about the conflict with Russia.
