The UNESCO World Heritage Committee included the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv and associated monastic buildings, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, as well as the ensemble of the historical center of Lviv on the list of World Heritage in Danger.
Members of the UNESCO committee considered that these sites were in danger amid the war, due to the shelling of Kyiv and Lviv.
In addition to the risk of a direct strike, these sites are vulnerable to shock waves caused by the bombing of other cities, the committee acknowledged.
Including cultural monuments on the list will remind UN member countries of their responsibility to contribute to the protection of these sites, the committee noted.
UNESCO believes that this step will entail financial and technical assistance from states.
In January, amid Russian attacks, Odessa was added to the same list.
The application was submitted by the President of Ukraine Vladimir Zelensky.
UNESCO has recognized the mark that the city has left on cinema, literature, and art.
Odesa then has access to technical and financial international support that Ukraine may require to ensure protection or recovery.
St. Sophia Cathedral was built in the 11th century in the center of Kyiv, symbolizing the “new Constantinople”.
The influence of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra contributed to the spread of Orthodox faith and thought on the European continent in the 17th-19th centuries, UNESCO noted.
The medieval layout of Lviv, the first mention of which dates back to 1256, has now been preserved almost unchanged.
In July, UNESCO condemned the shelling of a historic building in Lviv, located near the historical center of the city. Then the organization accused Russia of violating the Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property – at that moment, the territory protected by its protocols came under fire for the first time since February 24, 2022.
Currently, the UNESCO list of endangered sites includes more than 50 items – including, for example, the Old City of Jerusalem and the historical center of Vienna.