On 11 December, Deputy Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Anastasia Bondar took part in the 19th meeting of the UNESCO Committee for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict. The event supported Ukraine’s initiative to protect its cultural heritage, and two Ukrainian sites were included in the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection. These are the Babyn Yar National Historical and Memorial Reserve and the Odesa Literary Museum.
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In total, 27 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine have already been included in this list, including those on the UNESCO World Heritage List. This decision is an important step in protecting Ukraine’s cultural identity, as these sites have become symbols of national memory and resilience. However, the situation remains challenging as the enemy continues to destroy cultural monuments in an attempt to destroy physical evidence of history and erase Ukrainian identity.
According to Anastasia Bondar, over the 1022 days of the war, the Ministry of Culture has documented 1222 cases of destruction of cultural heritage sites, which indicates the serious scale of the destruction. ‘This is not only the physical destruction of monuments, but also an attempt to erase the history and culture of the nation,’ she said in her speech. At the same time, she thanked UNESCO member states for their support and called for the establishment of international legal responsibility for the destruction of cultural property.
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