On July 25, 2020, five months after the start of the war, the United Nations put figures on the destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
UNESCO verified that at least 168 cultural sites in Ukraine have been seriously damaged by the conflict that the country has with Russia.
The largest number is in the Donetsk, Kharkov and kyiv regions.
As you can see in the video that accompanies this news, a group of Ukrainians is already investigating how to repair the damage when the conflict allows it.
This is the group led by Yura Prepodobnyi who in 2016, together with a group of friends from her city, Lviv, founded Skeiron, a project dedicated to scanning heritage and achieving 3D reproductions, thanks to artificial intelligence.
For six years the team has managed to digitize more than 100 buildings in four different countries, as well as numerous museum collections.
However, with the start of Russia's offensive in Ukraine, their activity has accelerated.
“We put on the Superman suit and started quickly scanning objects and buildings.
We have worked like never before”.
Skeiron digitally translates in three dimensions the works of art and buildings that are part of the culture and heritage of Ukraine.
To determine which ones they are and which one is more urgent to x-ray, they collaborate with regional and local governments, foundations and architecture studios.
The team then uses laser scanning and photogrammetry technologies to more accurately record the monument's condition and thus help restore it in the event of destruction.
In the video that accompanies this news, Yura Prepodobnyi explains what the 3D scanning process is like: from taking pictures to processing the data obtained after the laser scanner.
The Director General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, predicted at the beginning of the conflict in Ukraine: "We must safeguard the cultural heritage in Ukraine, as a testimony of the past and also as a catalyst for peace and cohesion for the future, which the community international community must protect and preserve.
That's what Skeiron does.