In Ukraine, if part of the works have been evacuated to be sheltered, many monuments are damaged. A little over a year after the Russian invasion, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco) published a new estimate on Monday.
2.4 billion euros worth of cultural goods were destroyed. A whole heritage is disappearing under the bombs, whether it is a collateral victim of the conflict or a deliberate target. The areas of eastern Ukraine, where the fighting is concentrated, are unsurprisingly the most affected, according to Unesco. The city of Kharkiv, partially destroyed by the Russian army, accounts for almost a third of the losses. Religious buildings, historic buildings, museums… In total, the mission of Unesco lists 248 monuments damaged across the country. Some are completely demolished.
” What are we going to pass on to our children and grandchildren? »
Several museums located in occupied areas were looted. This is the case of Kherson Fine Arts Museum 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, it is a whole section of the Ukrainian culture of the city which 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 inherited, something they hold dear. For the city of Kherson, this collection was its jewel. And now that he’s been taken from us. What are we going to pass on to our children and grandchildren? »
” These lands were inhabited for centuries by Scythians, as evidenced by archaeological discoveries, or by Ukrainian Cossackssays the curator at the microphone of RFI. Now, the Russians are taking away the last proofs of our personal history. They took everything away so that we couldn’t say we were a separate people. The other concern is the collapse of parts of the economy linked to culture such as tourism, the arts or entertainment. This represents 13.9 billion euros in losses.
Rebuild and better protect this heritage
But the time has already come for the reconstruction project. Traveling to kyiv, the director general of Unesco, Audrey Azoulay, announces a future plan over ten years to repair and rebuild. The former French Minister of Culture estimates the total need for funding to rebuild and relaunch this sector at 6.4 billion euros. The organization also recommends further protecting Ukraine’s cultural heritage with measures to preserve places and objects still at risk of destruction.
Seven Ukrainian cultural sites and one natural site are on 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 on an “indicative” list of Unesco. kyiv must eventually present their candidacy so that they integrate the United Nations World Heritage.
► To read also: After a year of war, Ukraine is still trying to preserve its combat heritage