“These new sanctions are carried out as part of the ideological crusade that Ukraine announced to the Russian world after the 2014 coup. As you know, science and culture are outside politics, and what is happening now is a spectacle that should show others that Ukraine and Russia supposedly have nothing in common, ”said Balbek.
He emphasized that the struggle with science and culture "leads to lack of culture."
“And frankly, there is nothing to boast of in a decent society dubious wars against one of the greatest museums in the world and the university, which is in the top 100 world higher educational institutions. But we are a cultural nation and will not begin to respond like neither Ukrainian science, nor culture, nor the people. We do not consider them alien and hostile, ”the parliamentarian concluded.
Earlier Zelensky signed a decree imposing sanctions for a period of three years in relation to cultural and scientific institutions of Russia.
The list included, in particular, the Russian Geographical Society, the State Hermitage Museum, the State Museum of Fine Arts named after A.S. Pushkin, Institute of Archeology of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Moscow State University named after M.V. Lomonosov, Tula State Pedagogical University named after L.N. Tolstoy, Institute of the History of Material Culture of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Institute of Oriental Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences.