War in Ukraine: War leads to $3.5 billion worth of heritage and cultural destruction

War also damages a country’s culture. UNESCO estimates that Russia’s invasion of Ukraine caused $3.5 billion in damage to the country’s arts and cultural sector, and resulted in $19 billion in lost revenue from entertainment, arts and tourism.

Last April, the UN Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization, headquartered in Paris, estimated the damage at nearly $2.6 billion, with total damage in the tourism, arts and entertainment sectors amounting to about $14.6 billion. To reach these amounts, UNESCO has identified around 5,000 sites destroyed since the Russian invasion in February 2022, including 341 damaged cultural sites – up from 248 in April 2023. Two UNESCO World Heritage Sites – the historical center of Lviv (West) and Odessa (South) – were particularly damaged by Russian bombing.

Example of Odessa Cathedral

Chiara Dezzi Bardeski, UNESCO representative in Ukraine, specifically mentioned the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, “a symbol of the whole society,” which was heavily damaged in a Russian strike last July. Founded more than 200 years ago and destroyed by Soviet rule in 1936, the Transfiguration Cathedral was restored in the early 2000s thanks to donations. It was consecrated in 2010 by Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church. The cathedral has “religious and spiritual value for the city and society” but can no longer be used by society, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi said.

Seven Ukrainian cultural sites and one natural site are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, including the historical center of Odessa (South-West), relatively untouched during the year of conflict, which joined it this year. Sixteen more sites, including the center of Chernigov, which suffered in the first months of the war, are included in the UNESCO “indicative” list. Kyiv must eventually put forward its candidacy so that they can be included on the UN World Heritage List.