Last week, Russia carried out aerial attacks on Odesa and two other port cities, Chornomorsk and Mykolaiv, since ending the landmark Black Sea Initiative on grain and fertilizer exports.
International media reported that at least one person was killed and more than 20 injured in Sunday’s attack, which damaged key cultural sites in Odesa, including the Transfiguration Cathedral, the city’s first and main Orthodox church.
The Cathedral was built in 1794 and is located in the Historic Center of Odesa, which in January was inscribed on the World Heritage List held by the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
Culture of crosshairs
UN Secretary-General António Guterres strongly condemned the attack, his spokesman said in a statement.
“In addition to the terrible death toll of the war that took civilian lives, this is another attack on an area protected under the World Heritage Convention that violates the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict,” it said.
Mr. Guterres also expressed concern about the growing threat of war on Ukraine’s culture and heritage. UNESCO has confirmed the damage to 270 cultural sites, including 116 religious sites, since the beginning of the Russian invasion on 24 February 2022.
“The Secretary-General urges the Russian Federation to immediately cease attacks against cultural property protected by widely approved international normative instruments. The Secretary-General also continues to urge an immediate cessation of all attacks against civilians and civilian infrastructure,” the statement concluded.
‘Disgusting destruction’
UNESCO was deeply hurt by the “senseless attack”, which it condemned in the strongest terms. A mission will be deployed to Odesa in the coming days to conduct a preliminary assessment of the damages.
The agency said this “act of hatred” followed other recent attacks affecting cultural heritage sites in Lviv and Odesa protected under the World Heritage Convention.
“This terrible destruction marks an escalation of violence against the cultural heritage of Ukraine,” said Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO Director-General. He urged Russia to “take meaningful action” to fulfill its obligations under international law, including the protection of cultural property during armed conflict.
In addition, the attacks contradict recent statements by the Russian authorities about the precautions taken to save World Heritage sites in Ukraine, including their buffer zones, the agency said, adding that the deliberate destruction of cultural sites could amount to a war crime.
Protection of cultural institutions
In response to the war, UNESCO is working to improve the protection of cultural institutions in Ukraine, along with other actions such as denouncing violence against journalists and supporting the continuation of education.
Ms. Azoulay was in Odesa in April where he met with World Heritage site managers and stakeholders from the cultural sector. He took emergency action at UNESCO to protect the cultural heritage threatened by the conflict.
Speaking at the time, he said nearly $7 billion was needed over the next decade to rebuild Ukraine’s cultural sector.