Italy’s cultural minister has said his government will offer resources to Ukraine to rebuild the theatre in Mariupol that was sheltering civilians when it was shelled by the Russians.

Dario Franceschini, a member of the Italian parliament, who serves as the cultural minister said on Thursday that the proposal to rebuild Mariupol’s Drama Theater has been greenlit. 

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He tweeted “Italy is ready to rebuild the Theatre of #Mariupol. The cabinet of Ministers has approved my proposal to offer #Ukraine the resources and means to rebuild it as soon as possible. Theaters of all countries belong to the whole humanity #worldheritage”. 

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky responded to this on Twitter saying “You set a good example to follow”, and added, “Together we will rebuild the country to the last brick”. 

Notably, Zelensky already announced a program to rebuild the country that is being attacked by Russians. He said in a statement, “After the war, after our victory, we will rebuild everything that was destroyed. Very quickly and with a very high quality”, and added, “A special state program for reconstruction will be created for each affected city. I have already instructed the government to start the elaboration”. 

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The president also promised that the rebuilding would involve high-quality work. Zelensky continued, “The best architects, the best companies, the best projects. For every city! I want to say this on the example of Kharkiv. Our Kharkiv, which is now experiencing the worst suffering since World War II … Freedom Square will be such that everyone, all of us, all Europeans will be there!”, and added, “Poltava Way, Belgorod Highway, Myronosytska Street, Regional Children’s Hospital, Kharkiv Oncology Center, Karazin University, Labor Palace, Korolenko Library … We will rebuild everything! I promise you personally”. 

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Russian shelling has already hit numerous civilian targets with the situation in Mariupol worsening each passing day. The country stands accused of war crimes from some in the global community, for targeting civilians.