Ukraine's cultural heritage is suffering severely after four months of Russian offensive.
According to an evaluation published this Thursday by UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization), up to 152 assets have been totally or partially destroyed due to the war, which in turn accumulates more than 4,000 deaths among the civilian population.
The attacked spaces are made up of 70 religious buildings, 30 historical buildings, 18 cultural centers, 15 monuments, 12 museums and seven libraries.
The document cites the Donetsk, Kharkov and kyiv regions as the most affected, accounting for three quarters (111) of the damaged places.
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Ukraine's heritage under bomb threat: art world calls for preservation
Already in March, less than a month after the start of the war, UNESCO warned of the risk to the Ukrainian cultural heritage and appealed to protect it.
The organization also highlighted some works and spaces of special relevance, such as the wooden Tskervas [a type of Orthodox church built between the 16th and 19th centuries], which appear on the new list of damaged spaces.
The list also includes sites such as the Mariupol Theater, the kyiv House of Culture, the Kharkov Museum of Art and the Cathedral of Our Lady of Kazan in Marinka.
A wooden Tskerva.
National Heritage Board of Poland
The document collects the statements of the director general of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, on the situation.
“These repeated attacks on Ukrainian cultural sites must stop.
Cultural heritage, in all its forms, must not be targeted under any circumstances.
I reiterate my call for respect for international humanitarian law, in particular the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict”, declared the organization's leader.
Azoulay launched a security protocol months ago that includes measures such as signage with an emblem of cultural sites that must be excluded from bombing,
UNESCO is also working on new plans for the protection of spaces.
The text ensures that the organization has already created "a fund dedicated to support actions for Ukraine", also designed for future reconstruction, and that it requires a "rapid response" from the UN member states.
In turn, a team based in kyiv is being created whose mission is to protect cultural property.
Soon “a mission of heritage experts” will be sent to Ukraine.