US announces $7 million to protect Ukrainian heritage

The U.S. State Department will invest $7 million to “support Ukrainian efforts to protect its cultural heritage,” a U.S. State Department press release said on Feb. 23.

The funds will be funneled through the department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.

The Ukraine Culture Heritage Response Initiative was established to bolster Ukraine’s efforts to “protect and repair damage to Ukrainian cultural heritage sites and collections, as well as expand and strengthen public-private partnerships in Ukraine.”

The Initiative will reportedly prioritize cultural heritage sites “directly impacted” by Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

According to the press release, the funds will go toward the “documentation of damaged sites and collections for accountability, protection from damage and theft, emergency stabilization of damaged sites, the development and implementation of conservation and restoration plans, cultural heritage response coordination, and specialized training.”

Earlier on Feb. 23, CNN reported that Washington is expected to announce an additional $2 billion in Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative funds on Feb. 24, the one-year anniversary of Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.

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The Kyiv Independent