---
title: "Arvo Pärt to Ukrainians: Forgive us for failing to protect you"
id: "60178"
type: "post"
slug: "arvo-part-to-ukrainians-forgive-us-for-failing-to-protect-you"
published_at: "2022-03-07T22:39:59+00:00"
modified_at: "2022-03-07T22:40:00+00:00"
url: "https://estonianworld.com/culture/arvo-part-to-ukrainians-forgive-us-for-failing-to-protect-you/"
markdown_url: "https://estonianworld.com/culture/arvo-part-to-ukrainians-forgive-us-for-failing-to-protect-you.md"
excerpt: "Estonian composer Arvo Pärt issued a statement, in which the maestro addressed the Ukrainians and among other things, said, “forgive us for failing to protect […]"
taxonomy_category:
  - "Culture"
publisher: "Estonian World"
language: "en-GB"
author: "Silver Tambur"
author_url: "https://estonianworld.com/author/silver/"
---

# Arvo Pärt to Ukrainians: Forgive us for failing to protect you

![Image](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/03/Arvo-Part.-Photo-by-Kaupo-Kikkas.-1024x768.jpg)

Arvo Pärt. Photo by Kaupo Kikkas.

By  [Silver Tambur](https://estonianworld.com/author/silver/)
  ·  March 7, 2022  · [Culture](https://estonianworld.com/category/culture/)
 · 2 minutes of reading

### Estonian composer Arvo Pärt issued a statement, in which the maestro addressed the Ukrainians and among other things, said, “forgive us for failing to protect you from a disaster unimaginable in our time”.

The statement was issued by Laulasmaa, Estonia-based [Arvo Pärt Centre](https://www.arvopart.ee/en/)
 on behalf of the composer; Estonian World publishes the message in full:

*Dear friends in Ukraine, dear colleagues, dear all fighting for your home at the price of your life,*

*We bow before your bravery, bravery in the face of nearly unbearable suffering.*

*We are with you as much as we are able to. All that is left to us is a lump in our throats and tears and prayers. Words have begun to lose their meaning.*

*Forgive us!*

*Forgive us for failing to protect you from a disaster unimaginable in our time.*

*Long live Ukraine! Слава Україні!*

Pärt’s statement was shared in Estonian, English, Ukrainian and Russian, and comes at a time of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. According to the UN, there have so far been 1,123 civilian casualties in Ukraine: 364 killed, including 25 children, and 759 injured. More than 1.5 million people from Ukraine have crossed into neighbouring countries in just 10 days.

Arvo Pärt, one of the most performed living composers in the world for the past ten years, is a practicing Eastern Orthodox Christian. In the past, his works have been performed in both Russia and Ukraine.

*Read also: [Live updates: Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – reactions in Estonia](https://estonianworld.com/security/blog-russia-ukraine-crisis-a-view-from-estonia/)*.

## About The Author

![Avatar photo](https://estonianworld.com/wp-content/uploads/local-avatars/2/1572652467-bpfull-100x100.jpg)

[Silver Tambur](https://estonianworld.com/author/silver/)
Silver Tambur, co-founder and publisher of *Estonian World*, studied journalism at the University of Tartu and politics at Birkbeck, University of London. He has edited Estonian Public Broadcasting’s English news and contributed to *Business Sense*, *Deutsche Welle*, and *Radio New Zealand*. He is currently editor-in-chief of *Trialoog*, TalTech’s business and research portal. You can also follow him on [Twitter](https://twitter.com/SilverTambur)
 and like [his page on Facebook](https://www.facebook.com/silvertamburpage/)
. You can write to Silver at [silver@estonianworld.com](mailto:silver@estonianworld.com)
.