UN launches platform to monitor damage to Ukrainian cultural heritage

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From the most remarkable buildings to simple statues, this is an almost real-time tally of attacks on the country’s cultural property since it was invaded by the Russian army.

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The final count will take time of course, but as of October 24, the platform created by Unesco (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) and UNOSAT (the UN satellite imagery agency) has already verified the reality of the damage caused by the war in Ukraine on several hundred sites. “The figure that we were able to verify is 207 sites including 88 religious sites, 15 museums, 18 monuments, 10 libraries and 76 buildings of historical and artistic importance”, list Krista Pikkat, the director of the “Culture and Emergency” service of Unesco, in charge of the project presented this Wednesday.

None of Ukraine’s seven UNESCO World Heritage sites or in the process of being so has been affected so far. But the country’s cultural heritage has indeed suffered, laments Krista Pikkat: “A few are a bit iconic like the Mariupol Theatre. But for each community, it’s their sites that are the most important. I remember a writer’s monument was damaged and it had an impact on the local community. That’s what also makes Ukrainians say that it’s a war against the culture of Ukraine”.

Beyond the destruction, there are also the thefts. Russian forces, which are in the process of evacuating the city of Kherson at the mouth of the Dnieper, in southern Ukraine, have already unbolted and stolen the bronze statue bearing the likeness of Admiral Ushakov, the founder of the docks and shipyards which have made the reputation of the port city since the 17th century.

Last August, Ukraine announced that it had submitted a request for the historic center of Odessa to be included on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The Black Sea port city, famous for its architecture, is a strategic point in the conflict and has been bombarded several times by Russian forces. Obtaining its classification should allow, according to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture, to strengthen its protection.


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