Russia causes US$3.5 billion in damage to Ukrainian culture, says UNESCO
Over nearly two full years of the full-scale war, Russia has caused US$3.5 billion in damage to Ukrainian culture. The damages inflicted by Russia in 2023 increased by 40% compared to the previous year, affecting 341 cultural facilities compared to 248 facilities in 2022, according to UNESCO estimates.
Source: Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, the Head of UNESCO Desk in Ukraine, and Krista Pikkat, UNESCO Director of Culture in Emergencies, at a briefing.
Facilities in Kyiv, Lviv, and Odesa have suffered damage. Additionally, many cultural landmarks in eastern Ukraine and the frontline areas have been affected due to shelling and direct actions by Russian forces.
Pikkat said that the organisation is currently examining the damage to precisely 341 cultural facilities in Ukraine due to Russia's actions. However, she acknowledged that the actual number of war-damaged monuments could be significantly higher.
She said that at the time of Russia's invasion, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine and UNESCO lacked databases containing information on all cultural facilities in the country. This highlighted gaps in the preservation of cultural heritage and necessitated a reevaluation of methods for documenting and preserving information about cultural facilities.
Currently, the condition of monuments is being assessed using satellite images and cross-checks are conducted with reliable UNESCO sources.
Over the two years of war, the cultural sector and tourism incurred losses of approximately US$19.5 billion. The capital of Ukraine alone accounts for US$10 billion of this revenue.
"The losses continue to grow, as do the needs for the recovery of Ukraine's cultural sector," Krista Pikkat explained.
After the full-scale invasion, rebuilding all cultural and historical facilities in Ukraine will require about 10 years and US$9 billion.
"We are concerned about what is happening in Ukraine right now, so implementing measures to support creative industries and international solidarity is crucial," added Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi.
As UNESCO representatives noted, the organisation has mobilised approximately US$66 million over the past two years to support Ukraine's culture, education, and journalism.
UNESCO's work in Ukraine
In November 2023, Ukraine became a UNESCO World Heritage Committee member, opening up new opportunities for implementing the Convention. This includes making decisions on using the World Heritage Fund and including facilities in the World Heritage List and the List of World Heritage in Danger.
Ukraine ratified the Convention Concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage in 1988. In the fall of 2023, UNESCO added 20 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine to the List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection. Most were already part of the UNESCO World Heritage List, excluding monuments in temporarily occupied territories.
UNESCO periodically conducts missions in Ukraine. In Chernihiv, Ukrainian and international experts assess the damage to cultural heritage sites affected by Russian missile attacks during the Russian army's advance on the city and the occupation of parts of Chernihiv Oblast.
As of August 2023, the most significant damage to UNESCO cultural facilities was documented in Donetsk (78 facilities), Kharkiv (55 facilities), Kyiv (38 facilities), Luhansk (33 facilities), and Chernihiv (17 facilities) oblasts. There are also damaged objects in Zaporizhzhia and Sumy (12 facilities each), Odesa and Mykolaiv (8 each), Kherson (6), Zhytomyr (3), Vinnytsia (2), and Dnipropetrovsk and Lviv (1 each) oblasts.
UNESCO, an international organisation and part of the United Nations, contributes to strengthening peace and security by developing and supporting education, science, culture, and journalism.
UNESCO has 194 member states, with its headquarters in Paris and offices in 54 countries worldwide. Audrey Azoulay is the Director-General of UNESCO.
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