As reported by The Telegraph, the governor of Penza has already handed over military patches, identity cards, and a helmet to the so-called “special military operation” museum, allegedly taken from deceased Ukrainian soldiers.
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“These are the signs of our enemies – Bandera and Nazi symbols,” said O. Melnichenko in a Telegram video, showing items among which a Ukrainian army patch and a tactical first aid kit were visible.
In his speech, O. Melnichenko initially referred to these items as the property of “liquidated Ukrainian soldiers,” but later began using the widely spread anti-Ukrainian term “Banderites” common in Russian propaganda.
“These items will be displayed under a glass floor so that every step over them reminds of the strength of our nation’s spirit in the fight for independence,” said O. Melnichenko.
As reported by The Telegraph, the Penza “special operation museum,” opened in 2023 as part of the regional museum system, houses more than 500 exhibits, including weapons, ammunition, documents, photos, drone wreckage, maps, and personal belongings related to Russia’s military aggression. The museum also features an interactive trench installation designed to recreate frontline conditions.
Since the start of the large-scale war in 2022, more than 150 so-called “special operation museums” have been established in Russia and occupied Ukrainian territories. About 60% of the exhibitions operate in various educational institutions – schools, colleges, and universities.
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The head of Ukraine’s Strategic Communications Center, Ihor Solovey, described this Russian official’s idea as another part of Russia’s information campaign aimed against Ukrainian identity.
“This is a typical example of so-called ‘symbolic violence,’ manifested by the demonstrative desecration of the enemy’s sacred symbols,” said I. Solovey.
“Russia has used this against Ukraine throughout the entire period of armed aggression since 2014: they trample and burn Ukrainian flags, deliberately destroy our state symbols, burn Ukrainian books, demolish monuments to Ukrainian figures, rename streets in occupied cities, and so on,” he said.
I. Solovey emphasized that this practice is part of Russia’s informational-psychological warfare aimed at symbolically humiliating the Ukrainian state and its defenders, while involving as many Russian civilians as possible in what is described as a “symbolic” war, desecrating Ukrainian symbols and simultaneously seeking to demoralize and traumatize Ukrainians who witness such actions.
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