Ukraine forms military unit to shield endangered cultural sites

The General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine has announced the creation of a specialized unit to protect the country’s cultural heritage, which is vulnerable amid Russia’s war.

The Ministry of Culture has reported that Russian aggression has destroyed or damaged 1,222 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine. This figure includes 124 sites of national significance, 1,024 of local significance, and 74 newly identified sites. The cultural objects have suffered the most in Kharkiv Oblast, with 322 affected monuments. However, a comprehensive assessment of damage in temporarily occupied territories remains impossible, meaning the actual number of affected sites may be higher.

The newly formed unit within the armed forces will consist of military personnel with expertise and prior experience in cultural, archaeology, history, and museum management.

Its primary mission is coordinating efforts to protect, preserve, and prevent the destruction of cultural heritage sites endangered by military operations.

“The Armed Forces of Ukraine reaffirm their commitment to international humanitarian law, including the Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict (1954) and its protocols, by establishing this specialized unit,” stated the Ministry of Culture.

Ukraine ratified the First Protocol of the Hague Convention in 1956 and the Second Protocol in 2020. The creation of this unit aligns with Article 7, Part 2 of the convention and represents its national-level implementation.

Earlier, the UNESCO Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage recognized a Ukrainian “pysanka” or Easter egg as a cultural heritage of humanity.

Ukrainian “pysanka” Easter egg gains UNESCO cultural heritage status

The UNESCO Committee session took place on 3 November in the Paraguayan capital of Asunción. During this session, the joint Ukrainian and Estonian application for recognizing a Ukrainian Easter egg as a cultural heritage of humanity was approved.

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