The Louvre Museum has actively engaged in safeguarding Ukrainian cultural heritage amid the ongoing conflict in Ukraine, which began on February 24, 2022. Ukrainian museums and their collections, which chronicle a history spanning thousands of years, are at risk due to the war. To counteract these threats, including the illicit trafficking of cultural properties, the Louvre has partnered with the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts in Kyiv. Since December 2022, this collaboration has facilitated the confidential relocation of sixteen pivotal artworks to France.

This effort marks a significant gesture of solidarity from France towards Ukrainian cultural professionals facing the adversities of war. The operation is executed in alliance with the International Alliance for the Protection of Heritage in Conflict Areas (ALIPH), which has dedicated itself to the preservation of Ukrainian heritage since the conflict began.

A notable aspect of this initiative is the exhibition "At the Origins of the Sacred Image. Icons from the Bohdan and Varvara Khanenko National Museum of Arts of Kyiv," which displays five of the transferred pieces. These artifacts, dating from the 6th to the early 14th century, include four encaustic wood icons and a Constantinopolitan micromosaic icon, highlighting the deep-rooted legacy of Byzantine civilization and its profound connection to imagery. This exhibition is particularly relevant to the Louvre's recent establishment of the Department of Byzantine and Eastern Christian Arts, underscoring the ongoing challenges in preserving such ancient legacies.

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