The Russian tank that has recently been placed in front of the Freedom Museum building in Groesbeek was defaced on Sunday afternoon with the letter Z. That is the pro-Russian symbol for the invasion of Ukraine. The letter was spray-painted on the tank with white paint.
When museum employees found out, they removed the paint as quickly as possible, says director Wiel Lenders the Gelderlander.
According to Lenders, the police have been informed. We are considering filing a complaint. “This is punishable. It is a historical object that we have on loan. We are considering measures,” says the director.
Lenders says bystanders saw it happen. The incident only lasted a few seconds.
The 44-ton T-72B has been standing in the parking lot of the Freedom Museum since Friday, together with a bullet-riddled Ukrainian ambulance. The tank was captured by the Ukrainian army in March last year after it ran into a French mine during a Russian attack on Kyiv and was badly damaged.
According to the museum, the exhibition is a protest and awareness campaign. At the end of February this year, the tank was placed in front of the Russian embassy in Berlin as a protest against Russian aggression.
