At the Kadriorg, Kumu, and Niguliste museums, they are practicing how to quickly move valuable art objects to a safe location. Russia is destroying Ukraine's national identity and attacking cultural objects.
Merilin Piipuu said that the aggressor wants to destroy cultural identity. Cultural values contribute to national identity. For example, the old town of Kuressaare is very important.
In the Ukraine war, Russia has destroyed over 500 culturally significant buildings. According to Ukrainians, more than 1700 buildings have been destroyed. Among them are also buildings under UNESCO protection.
The defense of the Estonian state cannot happen without culture. The Estonian constitution speaks about the preservation of the Estonian nation, language, and culture.
Potential targets are, for example, the Art Museum of Estonia and Kumu. It is important how quickly valuable museum items can be evacuated.
The evacuation of museum items is part of crisis plans. For example, the fire at Notre-Dame in Paris made the European cultural sector prepare for various crises.
The Art Museum of Estonia will soon practice the rapid evacuation of valuable cultural objects. This is the first field exercise where practical obstacles are simulated.
Most Estonian museums have bubble wrap and tape ready. In a crisis situation, it is important to find suitable packaging for specific objects.
According to Statistics Estonia, there are 101 museums in Estonia. In a crisis situation, triage is used to decide which objects should be saved first.
In fact, one cannot talk about war without protecting cultural heritage. The tabletop exercises of the Art Museum of Estonia also take into account power outages.
The Ministry of Culture, with the support of the Norwegian and Nordic Council of Ministers, has the opportunity to prepare for crises. A small crisis-resistant storage facility is being built on Hiiumaa.