UNESCO monitors Russian damage to cultural sites in Ukraine via satellite
During the war in Ukraine, UNESCO works in six areas outlined by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture and Information Policy, the most important of which is the monitoring and assessment of cultural heritage destruction. According to a Ukrinform correspondent, this was stated in Lviv during the symposium “Crime against cultural heritage – in war and post-war times” by UNESCO Liaison Officer in Ukraine Professor Chiara Dezzi Bardeski.
According to her, a special interactive map was created for this purpose, which has daily updates. “We have created a platform from which we can see that as of yesterday, 256 properties were damaged. We verify this using satellite analysis, which is done every 24 hours. We have expert teams collecting information for proper analysis. We may not have direct evidence of crimes related to cultural property because it is not a legal approach. UNESCO does not look at intentions but assesses the extent of damage, which will later help to organize an intervention properly. And then, the Ukrainian authorities can use this for legal action,” stated Bardeski.
