UNESCO estimates that Ukraine will need nearly $9 billion over the next decade to rebuild its cultural heritage sites and tourism industry following the Russian invasion.
According to the UN agency, Ukraine’s interconnected culture and tourism sectors have lost more than $19 billion in revenue during the war, which began two years ago. UNESCO said that 341 cultural heritage sites across Ukraine had been damaged as a result of the hostilities, including sites in Kyiv, Lviv, Odesa, and other cities.
Experts estimated the total cost of the destruction of these cultural monuments and thousands of other cultural sites across the country at nearly $3.5 billion.
“For example, the cathedral in Odesa is one of the sites that suffered severe damage,” said Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, head of the UNESCO office in Ukraine. “It is a symbol for the entire community, with profound spiritual and historical significance.”
UNESCO strongly condemned the “brazen attack” carried out by Russian forces against historic buildings in central Odesa in July last year. According to the UN agency, the attack killed at least two people and damaged several sites, including the Transfiguration Cathedral.
The cathedral, founded in the late 18th century, is Odesa’s main Orthodox church. The original building was destroyed in 1936 during the Soviet era, and the cathedral was rebuilt between 1999 and 2003.
UNESCO stated that the deliberate destruction of cultural heritage sites and religious buildings may be considered a war crime. The International Criminal Court launched its first investigation into similar allegations in the case of Mali in 2015.