Ukraine: war caused billions of euros in heritage destruction, says UNESCO

The historic center of Odessa is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. © Petros Giannakouris / AP

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In Ukraine, while some of the works have been evacuated to be sheltered, many monuments are damaged. A little more than a year after the Russian invasion, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) published a new estimate on Monday.

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€2.4 billion worth of cultural property was destroyed. It is a whole heritage that disappears under the bombs, whether it is collateral victim of the conflict or deliberate target. The areas of eastern Ukraine, where fighting is concentrated, are unsurprisingly the most affected, according to UNESCO. The city of Kharkiv, partially destroyed by the Russian army, gathered nearly a third of the losses. Religious buildings, historic buildings, museums... In total, the UNESCO mission lists 248 damaged monuments throughout the country. Some are completely demolished.

« What will we pass on to our children and grandchildren? »

Several museums in occupied areas were looted. This is the case of the Museum of Fine Arts in Kherson where some 10,000 works from the institution's collection were stolen when the Russians withdrew from the city in November. For Anna Skirpka, curator of the museum, a whole section of the city's Ukrainian culture has disappeared. "We have lost not only our cultural heritage, but also our historical heritage, a certain vision of the city," she laments. Every family has something they have inherited, that are dear to them. For the city of Kherson, this collection was its jewel. And now that it has been taken away from us. What will we pass on to our children and grandchildren?

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These lands have been inhabited for centuries by Scythians, as evidenced by archaeological discoveries, or by Ukrainian Cossacks, says the curator at the microphone of RFI. But the Russians are taking away the last evidence of our personal history. They took everything away so that we could not say that we are a people apart." The other concern is the collapse of parts of the economy related to culture such as tourism, arts or entertainment. This represents €13.9 billion in losses.

Rebuilding and better protecting this heritage

But it is already time for the reconstruction project. On a trip to Kiev, the Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey Azoulay, announces a future ten-year plan to repair and rebuild. The former French Minister of Culture estimates the total need for funding to rebuild and revive this sector at 6.4 billion euros. The organization also recommends further protection of Ukraine's cultural heritage with measures to preserve places and objects still at risk of destruction.

UNESCO Director Audrey Azoulay in Kyiv on 3 April 2023 to present the Ukrainian heritage reconstruction plan. © Andrew Kravchenko/AP

Seven Ukrainian cultural sites and one natural site are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the historic center of Odessa (southwest), relatively spared by a year of conflict, which joined it this year. Sixteen other sites, including the city center of Chernihiv, damaged during the first months of the war, appear in an "indicative" list of Unesco. Kiev must eventually submit their candidacy so that they integrate the UN World Heritage.

► Read also: After a year of war, Ukraine is still trying to preserve its heritage of fighting

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  • Culture
  • Ukraine
  • UNESCO
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