On January 20, a panel discussion "the cultural dimension of the Russian-Ukrainian armed conflict: state policy and protection tools" was held in Kyiv, during which Yevheny Yaroshenko, an analyst at the public organization KrymSOS, proposed five areas of activity in the field of international law that will help preserve cultural heritage in Crimea and Donbas.
This is reported by Krym.Realii.
According to Yaroshenko, Ukraine needs to continue filing complaints against Russia in international courts and emphasize cultural objects, involve international organizations in remote monitoring of these objects, mark Ukrainian cultural objects with Blue Shield signs, hold accountable institutions and people who export artifacts and conduct illegal excavations in the occupied territories, and continue to support the topic of cultural heritage in the territory of Crimea and Donbas in the Ukrainian and international media space.
"Crimean historical monuments should become part of the cultural brand of Ukraine, even though they are in the occupied territories. So that not only St. Sophia of Kyiv or the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra are associated with Ukraine, but also the Khan's Palace, swallow's nest, Scythian Naples and other Crimean monuments become part of the cultural brand of our country," Yaroshenko said.
Earlier, the Russian authorities of Crimea said that the establishment of borders and zones of cultural sites requires funding in the amount of almost 500 million rubles.
Russian Minister of Culture of Crimea Tatiana Manezhina reported that in Crimea, about 70% of cultural heritage sites require restoration and emergency response work.
After the annexation of Crimea, Russia took under its jurisdiction all objects of cultural and historical significance located on the territory of Crimea. Kyiv insists on belonging to the monuments of the Ukrainian people and asks to accept them under the protection of UNESCO.
In September 2019, the report of UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay was published, which notes the deterioration of the situation on the peninsula in all areas of competence of the organization.
The Russian authorities in Crimea do not agree with the information provided in the UNESCO reports. Russian minister of culture of Crimea Arina Novoselskaya invited UNESCO representatives to personally visit the peninsula and "objectively assess" the state of objects of cultural and historical significance.
The UNESCO World Heritage list includes the Tauric Chersonesos nature reserve. Also, candidates for inclusion in the list are the Khan's Palace in Bakhchisarai, the Genoese fortress in Sudak, the Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Mangup-Kale, Eski-Kermen and Chufut-Kale.
As RISU has reported, in occupied Crimea, the famous Chersonesos cathedral is being destroyed. Since the beginning of the occupation of Crimea by Russia, no repairs have been carried out in the cathedral.
"First of all, we are talking about the need to carry out facade works and repair the roof for it leaks like a sieve. But the priority is to eliminate the main cause of troubles that destroy the building from the outside and from within: to ensure the normal operation of all engineering systems," said Oleksandra Galkina, a representative of the My History Foundation.