UNESCO Confirms Destruction of Dozens of Historic and Religious Sites in Ukraine – UNESCO, the cultural agency of the United Nations, confirmed this week that at least 53 historical sites across Ukraine have been sustained substantial damage or been destroyed by Russian aggression.
A representative from UNESCO told Agence France-Press that the latest figures are not exhaustive and that experts continue to verify reports across Ukraine.
The same spokesperson confirmed that UNESCO used satellite images in conjunction with witness reports to verify damage to various cultural, historic, and religious sites across the country. Many of the sites targeted were in the eastern region of Kharkiv, with both modern heritage sites and historic churches targeted by troops in the area.
According to UNESCO, there are 29 religious sites confirmed destroyed or damaged, as well as 16 historic buildings, four monuments, and four museums. Reports from the besieged cities of Mariupol and Kherson have not been verified, however, owing to the continued occupation of Russian troops. With the two cities – which stand between the Crimean Peninsula and the contested Donbas region in the east of Ukraine – having been so heavily bombarded by Russian missiles, there is no telling how much more destruction will be discovered in the coming months.
Is Russia Breaking International Law?
When former President Donald Trump threatened in January of 2020 to strike Iranian cultural and historic sites in retaliation to Iranian attacks on Americans and American assets, U.S. media outlets were quick to point out that doing so would be illegal.
In a number of tweets, then-President Trump warned that if Iran strikes any American sites or assets, the United States would begin striking 52 Iranian sites, “some at a very high level & important to Iran & the Iranian culture.”
Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammed Javad Zarif made similar comments, warning that such an act would constitute a war crime.
Under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in Armed Conflict, of which the United States is a signatory, no act of hostility can be directed at cultural property.
“The High Contracting Parties undertake to respect cultural property situated within their own territory as well as within the territory of other High Contracting Parties by refraining from any use of the property and its immediate surroundings or of the appliances in use for its protection for purposes which are likely to expose it to destruction or damage in the event of armed conflict; and by refraining from any act of hostility, directed against such property,” the agreement reads.
Both Ukraine and Russia are signatories to the same 1954 Hague Convention, meaning that Russia is violating international law.
Jack Buckby is a British author, counter-extremism researcher, and journalist based in New York. Reporting on the U.K., Europe, and the U.S., he works to analyze and understand left-wing and right-wing radicalization, and reports on Western governments’ approaches to the pressing issues of today. His books and research papers explore these themes and propose pragmatic solutions to our increasingly polarized society.
