Today at 17:23
UNESCO has kept three Ukrainian sites — the Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings along with Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Historic Centre of Lviv, and the Historic Centre of Odesa — on its List of World Heritage in Danger, acknowledging the direct threat posed by Russia’s aggression.
Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced this, according to UATV English.
During the 48th session of the World Heritage Committee in Busan, South Korea, the committee reached this decision by consensus, recognizing that Russia’s ongoing armed aggression continues to pose a direct threat to the sites’ outstanding universal value, authenticity, and integrity.
In reaching its determination, the Committee reviewed updated information from Ukraine detailing damage from recent Russian missile and drone strikes, along with findings from reactive monitoring missions carried out by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre and ICOMOS.
“The importance of these decisions lies, in particular, in identifying the cause of the threat to these sites – the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by the Russian Federation – and in condemning Russia’s ongoing full-scale aggression against Ukraine,” the Foreign Ministry said.
The Committee again urged Russia to avoid any actions that could directly or indirectly damage these sites or Ukraine’s cultural heritage more broadly, while also commending Ukraine’s efforts to protect, monitor, and preserve the sites under wartime conditions.
Going forward, the Committee’s decisions call for continued international monitoring of the preservation status of Ukraine’s World Heritage sites, ongoing cooperation between Ukraine and the UNESCO World Heritage Centre, advisory bodies, and the Committee itself, and the preparation of updated progress reports for review at the Committee’s next session in 2027, the Foreign Ministry added.
As previously reported, Ukraine’s First Lady Olena Zelenska met with UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany in Paris on July 14 to discuss building a strategic partnership and expanding cooperation.
Read also: ISW: Kremlin Tightens Pressure on Migrants to Boost Military Recruitment
