UNESCO has verified 387 damages to various cultural sites in Ukraine, the head of the UN educational, scientific and cultural organization in Ukraine, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, has recently reported.
It is estimated that the losses in the field of cultural heritage in Ukraine already amount to more than $20 billion, and this figure is expected to grow. The $197 million is needed to protect the most vulnerable sites in order to preserve the monuments.
“In the occupied Ukrainian territories, the occupiers are burning Ukrainian books and turning cultural institutions into propaganda tools. At the same time, wherever they can reach with missiles, all this is destroyed to erase the memory of Ukrainian identity. This is yet another act of barbarism aimed at breaking the spirit of the nation and undermining its future,” commented Pavlo Kostyuk, founder of the Ukraine Reconstruction Fund.
Since 2014, Russia has been purposefully destroying everything that preserves, multiplies and develops Ukrainian culture. And this is another area in which the efforts of state institutions, the public and international partners must be united for the sake of recovery, emphasized Pavlo Kostyuk.
He added that the URF has been emphasizing the importance of preserving Ukrainian cultural heritage since its inception. The fund has held several charity presentations of paintings by contemporary Ukrainian artists in the United States and plans to hold other art events. All interested patrons are invited to participate in them.
