The United Nations agency UNESCO reported that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has inflicted approximately $3.5 billion in damages on the country’s heritage and cultural sites. This includes a loss of around $19 billion in combined revenues from culture, tourism, and entertainment sectors since the invasion in February 2022. Last year, UNESCO estimated the damage at nearly $2.6 billion. Utilizing satellite imagery, UNESCO assessed that approximately 5,000 sites have been destroyed, with over 340 of them being museums, monuments, libraries, and religious venues. This marks a significant increase from the 248 sites reported as of April last year. Notably, two UNESCO World Heritage sites—the medieval center of Lviv and Odesa in the south—have suffered extensive damage due to Russian strikes.
Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, UNESCO’s representative in Ukraine, highlighted the severe damage inflicted on Odesa’s Transfiguration Cathedral, which holds great significance for the community. Originally founded in 1794 and later destroyed by the Soviets in 1936, the cathedral was reconstructed in the 2000s through donations and consecrated in 2010 by the Patriarch of the Russian Orthodox Church, Kirill. Despite its religious and spiritual value to the city, the cathedral can no longer be utilized by the community due to the damage caused by Russian strikes.
In total, seven cultural sites and one natural site in Ukraine are listed on UNESCO’s World Heritage List, including the historic center of Odesa. Additionally, sixteen other sites are on UNESCO’s tentative World Heritage sites list, awaiting formal application by the Ukrainian government to be granted World Heritage status.
