Victor Pinchuk Foundation opens Russian War Crimes Exhibition at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York

Following on from the successful exhibition at the Russia House during the World Economic Forum in Davos, the Russian War Crimes exhibition has opened at the Ukrainian Institute of America in New York. The project, organized by Victor Pinchuk Foundation and PinchukArtCentre in partnership with the Office of the President of Ukraine, Ministry for Foreign Affairs, Ukrainian Institute of America, 5 am and Ukrainian Association of Photographers, provides information about the horrific reality of Russia’s aggression towards Ukraine.

The exhibition is part of a world tour which aims to show the full extent of the atrocities to audiences across the globe. Earlier this month, the exhibition was stationed in the European Parliament in Brussels, Belgium. The Russian War Crimes exhibition in New York will be open to the public until Sunday 2nd October.

The opening of the exhibition was represented by the world leaders and discussed the global impact of the war on Ukraine. Speakers included Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, Victor Pincuk, businessman and philanthropist, Egil Levits, President of Latvia, Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine and Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau, Assistant secretary of global public affairs Department of State.

Andrii Yermak, Head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, stated in his opening speech: “In the last few weeks, Ukrainian troops liberated most of the Kharkiv oblast and what they found horrified the entire civilized world. During this time the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe have supported the proposal of an international tribunal that will try Russia’s political leadership. Vladimir Putin once said he would not allow another Srebrenica in the Donbas but he kept silent about his plans for Bucha, Borodianka, Izium, Chuhuiv and dozens of other places that Ukrainians have been killed for being born Ukrainian. This is genocide. There must be punishment for Russia’s highest political leadership. The mutilation of the dead, and broken destinies of the living, are a calling to us all. Those who started this war, those who are guilty of the main crimes against Ukraine, must be brought to justice.

“We hope that while Ukraine is fighting day and night for its right to exist, the legal international mechanisms will start to function. There is no other option. Otherwise the civilised world will be doomed to live – and die – in fear,” continued Yermak.

Victor Pinchuk, businessman and philanthropist said: “For many years I have been involved creation of Babyn Jar, a memorial for the victims of the German atrocities committed at the place. At that point the world said “Never again”, yet we are seeing such horrendous acts in Ukraine. We have to tell our story loudly so that the international community acts in support.

“It is very depressing to think that since showing the exhibition in the European Parliament in Brussels only two weeks ago, more horrendous crimes have been committed. We have to present these crimes as they are so that the international community realises that severe sanctions are needed and to send more weapons. We hope this exhibition will help to show what we are defending against and what we are fighting for and why we have to win together. Art is a powerful tool, and I know the exhibition will contribute to our victory,” added Pinchuk.

Egil Levits, President of Latvia, said: “The imagery at this exhibition is the reality of this war and we should deal with this reality without illusions. The West is on our side, yet we need to convince the West of the war crimes committed against Ukraine. This is why this exhibition is so important.

“I would like to reiterate the words of Mr Yermak that we need an international tribunal. We already have three international courts that have started procedures against Russia, but they are focusing on specific aspects of the war. There is no international court that has jurisdiction of the main crime - that is the crime of starting an aggressive war. Therefore, it is necessary to fill the gap by creating a special international tribunal to judge this specific case. We must strengthen the international law to investigate the responsibility of the Russian State, with all its citizens. We must go further and convince more and more countries of this idea,” added Levits.

Denys Shmyhal, Prime Minister of Ukraine said: “From the first day of the invasion, Russia has been systematically and deliberately undertaking war crimes in Ukraine. We are dealing with a genocide of the Ukrainian people. Their aim is to destroy the Ukrainian people and their nation.

“We all remember Bucha and how families, young and old were murdered. Russia continues to attack civilian targets, transportation hubs, schools and infrastructure. Those crimes are not only committed by the soldiers, but also the Russian leadership who give the order to attack and bomb our children, our women and men, and who ignited the hatred against our country and its people. We support the creation of a special tribunal for the prosecution of the Russian war crimes, so justice can be served. This exhibition is painful evidence of the war crimes committed,” concluded Shmyhal.

Elizabeth Kennedy Trudeau, Acting Assistant Secretary of Global Public Affairs, United States Department of State, added: “It is an honour and privilege to see the exhibition. As President Joe Biden said at the UN General Assembly, ‘the people of the United States stand with the people of Ukraine against Putin’s unjust war’. The exhibit today not only tells the story of the resilience of Ukrainian people but the need for accountability.”

Open until Sunday 2nd October, the exhibition includes video work by Oleksiy Sai which begins with a statement from President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelensky, and photographs by Mstyslav Chernov, Philip Cheung, Maxim Dondyuk, Pavel Dorogoy, Efrem Lukatsky, Mikhail Palinchak, Petro Sazonov, Yevhenii Zavhorodnii, as well as a map of verified Russian War Crimes in Ukraine, and audio clips of Russian soldiers calling home and sharing some of the atrocities they committed.

The Russian War Crimes Exhibition can be found at the Ukrainian Institute of America, 2 E 79th St, New York, NY 10075 (Wednesday 21 September – Sunday 2nd October).

To view the video of the opening event, and hear these speeches and testimonies for yourself, please visit our YouTube channel.

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