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.

By recording and documenting the damage and destruction of cultural sites, UNESCO not only warns of the seriousness of the situation, but also prepares for future reconstruction. Although it is still too early to start work, the UN organization has already created a fund dedicated to actions in support of Ukraine and has launched an appeal for contributions to its Member States for a rapid response.

With the same objective, UNESCO is in the process of setting up a team dedicated to the protection of cultural property, based in Kyiv, and will soon send a mission of heritage experts to the country.

The list of partially or totally destroyed Ukrainian cultural sites is available online at the following link. It is updated weekly by UNESCO. (Quelle: www.unesco.org, 23. Juni 2022)