Over 900 cultural heritage sites damaged in Ukraine as result of Russian invasion – PM Shmyhal

More than 900 cultural heritage sites have been damaged in Ukraine since Russia's full-scale invasion.

Prime Minister Denys Shmyhal said this at the conference “United for Justice. United for Heritage,” Ukrinform reports, referring to the Government portal.

The Prime Minister stressed that the United for Justice platform should be used to develop joint solutions and mechanisms to implement the “Russia will pay” principle.

 “The enemy is committed to an ideology of total destruction. It destroys homes, schools and kindergartens, hospitals and power plants, factories and farms. It also wipes out churches, museums, theaters, historical buildings and monuments,” he said.

Shmyhal pointed out that the aggressor did not hesitate to destroy what it had declared yesterday to be its cultural heritage. As a result, the Kharkiv, Donetsk, and Odesa regions have suffered the most from Russian attacks on cultural heritage. In total, the Russians have targeted over 900 historical and cultural sites.

In addition, more than 20,000 cultural monuments of national and local significance are under occupation.

“Putin’s regime is continuing the centuries-old tradition of cultural plunder that began in the Russian empire and continued in the USSR. That is why we need an immediate international response to the shadow trade in cultural goods. We need to create a reliable legal framework, strengthen security measures and improve cooperation between law enforcement agencies of different countries,” the Prime Minister stressed.

He underlined the importance of a thorough and accurate assessment of losses and damages in the cultural sector. According to him, this information will form the basis of evidence for international judicial institutions.

According to the Prime Minister, the world needs a precedent for punishing vandalism and savagery in the cultural sphere. This will be of great importance for all mankind, for the protection and preservation of the heritage of our civilisation in all parts of the world and on all continents.

According to the Prime Minister, the drone attack on the Roman Shukhevych Museum in Lviv was a symbol of Russia's vandalism.

"This means that the Kremlin is still afraid of the fallen heroes of the past. Russians are at war not only with the living but also with the dead," Shmyhal emphasized.

As reported by Ukrinform, on January 1, Russian troops destroyed the museum of UPA General Roman Shukhevych in Bilohoshcha in Lviv.