The Power Within: The Kyiv Independent’s first-ever magazine. Be among the first to get it.

pre-order now
Skip to content
Edit post

UNESCO adds 20 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites to enhanced protection list

by Elsa Court and The Kyiv Independent news desk September 7, 2023 9:25 PM 1 min read
An exterior view of the first Soviet 13-story skyscraper, the architectural monument in the constructivist style on July 11, 2023 in Kharkiv, Ukraine. (Photo by Valentyna Polishchuk/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)
This audio is created with AI assistance

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) approved a request from Ukraine to add 20 landmarks to the international list of cultural heritage sites under enhanced protection, Deputy Culture Minister Anastasiia Bondar said on Sept. 7.

The list includes the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, an important monastery famous for its complex cave systems, Lviv's historic center, Taras Shevchenko's grave, and the Derzhprom building in Kharkiv, which was the first skyscraper built in the Soviet Union.  

The list also includes numerous wooden churches in the Carpathians, according to the Culture Ministry.

In 1999, UNESCO established a mechanism to grant cultural heritage sites enhanced protection as a way to deter attacks during conflicts.

Individuals who do not respect the enhanced protection granted to such sites can face criminal sanctions, according to UNESCO.

Ukrainian cultural heritage has been under attack by Russia since the first day of the full-scale invasion.

Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture has documented over 1,600 cultural facilities damaged or destroyed by Russian forces, but the actual number may be even higher.

After Russian strikes against Odesa's historical center, which was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site earlier this year, the organization highlighted that the intentional destruction of cultural sites may amount to a war crime.

News Feed

5:30 AM

Trump says he may meet Putin 'shortly' after May Middle East visit.

Despite ongoing ceasefire negotiations, Trump and Putin have yet to have direct contact, communicating only through their officials. Trump's last in-person encounter with his Russian counterpart was during the 2018 Helsinki Summit during the U.S. president's first term.
8:08 PM

Ukrainians react to US proposal of recognizing Crimea as Russian.

The U.S. media outlet Axios reported on April 23 that the U.S. President Donald Trump administration's final proposal for ending the Russia-Ukraine war included the U.S. de jure recognizing Russia's annexation of Crimea and de facto recognizing its control of other occupied Ukrainian territories. We asked Kyiv residents for their reactions to the U.S. proposal.
7:21 PM  (Updated: )

Trump says 'nobody is asking' Ukraine to recognize Crimea as Russian.

"Nobody is asking (President Volodymyr) Zelensky to recognize Crimea as Russian Territory, but if he wants Crimea, why didn’t they fight for it eleven years ago when it was handed over to Russia without a shot being fired?" U.S. President Donald Trump wrote.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.