UNESCO grants enhanced protection to 2 Ukrainian cultural sites

UNESCO has added Ukraine's Babyn Yar Memorial and the Odesa Literary Museum to its international list of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection, the Culture Ministry announced on Dec. 12.

Deputy Culture Minister Anastasiia Bondar highlighted the significance of the additions, describing Babyn Yar as a "reminder of one of the darkest pages of human history" and the Odesa Literary Museum as a "steadfast symbol of Ukrainian culture" amid daily Russian attacks

The Babyn Yar site commemorates the mass murder of nearly 34,000 Jews by Nazi forces near Kyiv in September 1941, as well as over 100,000 other victims, including Soviet prisoners of war and Romani people.

The historic center of Odesa has faced significant damage due to Russian missile strikes, including an attack on July 2023 that damaged over 20 architectural monuments and heavily damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral.

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion, the Culture Ministry has documented 1,222 cases of destruction of cultural heritage sites, including those under UNESCO protection.

Russia’s bombardment of Ukraine’s cultural heritage sites has drawn condemnation from UNESCO, which confirmed damage to 457 sites as of Oct. 21.

These include religious buildings, museums, monuments, libraries, and other structures of historical or artistic significance.