According to the checks carried out by UNESCO experts, 154 cultural sites have been partially or totally destroyed as a result of the fighting, including 70 religious sites, 12 museums, 30 historic buildings, 19 buildings dedicated to cultural activities, 16 monuments and 7 libraries. Three-quarters of the total damaged sites are in three regions: the Donetsk region with 45 damaged cultural sites, the Kharkiv region with 40 damaged sites, and the Kyiv region with 26 damaged sites.
Among the museums damaged or destroyed are The Military Historical Museum – a branch of the Chernihiv Historical Museum, Building of regional children’s library, Regional Art Museum. G. Galagana, the Ivankiv Museum, Kharkiv Art Museum, Hryhorii Skovoroda National Literary Memorial Museum and the Mariupol Museum of Local Lore.
UNESCO reiterates its call to respect international law and continues its actions in support of cultural professionals in the field by for instance providing technical advice to cultural professionals to protect buildings and inventory works and identifying shelters for objects. UNESCO has also assisted the Ukrainian authorities in marking cultural sites with the distinctive blue shield emblem, which indicates that the property is protected under the 1954 Hague Convention. UNESCO has created a fund dedicated to actions in support of Ukraine, and is in the process of setting up a team dedicated to the protection of cultural property.
