The German Museum of Books and Writing of the German National Library in Leipzig will be marking the first anniversary of the Russian invasion by offering a brief insight into the staggering scale of the destruction: the exhibition will feature an image series titled “before/after” with a multitude of photographs showing the aggressor’s brutality and vandalism. The photos also testify to the sustained cruelty of a war which has already wrought irrevocable destruction and currently has no foreseeable end. A cultural nation right at the heart of Europe is threatened with extinction. At the end of last year, the extremity of the situation was outlined in an open letter signed by more than 70 prominent figures in the fields of science, literature and politics: “if Ukraine collapses, the European security order will also fall apart”, they said.