Verkhovna Rada calls on the world to condemn Russia's cultural genocide against Ukraine
The corresponding resolution No. 15338 was adopted by 252 votes, according to Ukrinform.
Lawmakers have submitted an appeal to the United Nations, the parliaments and governments of UN member states, the European Union, NATO, the European Parliament, UNESCO, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, and the NATO Parliamentary Assembly. This appeal condemns the Russian Federation’s systematic policy of cultural genocide directed against the Ukrainian people.
In the appeal, the Verkhovna Rada calls on the international community to recognize Russia’s systematic destruction of Ukraine’s cultural and spiritual heritage as cultural genocide against the Ukrainian people. It emphasizes that such actions pose a significant threat not only to global cultural heritage but also to international security.
Lawmakers are urging the intensification of the documentation and international legal assessment of Russia’s crimes against Ukrainian cultural heritage. They are also advocating for stronger mechanisms to hold the Russian Federation accountable and for the expedited consideration of suspending its membership rights in UNESCO.
Additionally, they are calling for the international community to enhance support for Ukraine in air defense, provide financial, technical, and expert assistance for the preservation and restoration of damaged monuments, museums, archives, and libraries, facilitate the return of illegally removed cultural property, and assist in the temporary evacuation of the most valuable cultural sites.
The Verkhovna Rada also emphasizes the need to locate, return, and restitute cultural property that has been illegally removed from Ukrainian territory.
As previously reported, during a Russian airstrike on Kyiv on the night of June 15, an enemy kamikaze drone struck the altar area of the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, causing damage to 80% of the cathedral’s roof.
