On Thursday, UNESCO published an updated assessment of the damage caused to cultural sites in Ukraine since 24 February 2022, when Russian offensive began, APA reports.
According to the checks carried out by its experts, 152 cultural sites have been partially or totally destroyed as a result of the fighting, including 70 religious buildings, 30 historical buildings, 18 cultural centres, 15 monuments, 12 museums, and seven libraries.
"These repeated attacks on Ukrainian cultural sites must stop. Cultural heritage, in all its forms, should not be targeted under any circumstances. I reiterate my call for the respect of international humanitarian law, in particular the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict."
Three-quarters of the damaged sites are in three regions: the Donetsk region, where the fighting is still particularly intense - with 45 damaged cultural sites - the Kharkiv region – with 40 damaged sites - and the Kyiv region – with 26 damaged sites.
From the outset of the war, UNESCO's Director-General initiated a series of emergency measures to prevent as much destruction as possible. The Organization provided technical advice to cultural professionals in the field to protect buildings and inventory works, shelters were identified to secure objects that could be moved, and fire-fighting measures were reinforced.
UNESCO also assisted the Ukrainian authorities in marking cultural sites with the distinctive blue shield emblem. This symbol indicates that the property is protected under the 1954 Hague Convention. Therefore, any infringement is considered a violation of international law and can be prosecuted. It should also be noted that none of the 7 UNESCO World Heritage sites have been affected to date.
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