Russia's war against Ukraine has caused over $2.6 billion in damages to Ukraine's cultural heritage, according to a recently published report by the Ukrainian government, the World Bank, the European Commission, and the United Nations.
Thirty percent of Kharkiv Oblast's cultural heritage has been impacted by the full-scale invasion, which is more than any other region in Ukraine, the findings of the report stated.
The other two oblasts whose cultural heritage has been most affected by Russia's war are Donetsk and Luhansk oblasts, located in Ukraine's east and the site of the war's most intense battles.
The $2.6 billion in damages include $1.7 billion attributed to culturally and socially significant historic cities, buildings, and sites; $650 million to damaged tourism facilities; and $143 million to movable cultural properties and collections.
Another $150 million in recorded damages was to buildings, workshops, and studios associated with cultural and creative industries, the report stated.
Francis Farrell
