Volunteers cover the monuments of Princess Olga, Apostle Andrew and Saints Cyril and Methodius with sand bags for protection, as Russia's invasion of Ukraine continues, in Kyiv, Ukraine March 28, 2022. REUTERS/Vladyslav Musiienko/File Photo
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) says about $2.6 billion worth of Ukraine’s heritage and cultural sites have been damaged by the Russian invasion.
During a visit to Ukraine on Monday, Audrey Azoulay, UNESCO director-general, said culture, tourism, sports, and entertainment have lost a combined $15.1 billion in revenue.
Azoulay said close to 250 monuments have either been “damaged or completely destroyed”, mostly in the east of the country.
“We will help the Ukrainian authorities draw up a national reconstruction plan for the culture sector,” Azoulay said, adding that it would take around $6.9 billion to repair the damage and get the sectors back on their feet.
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Seven cultural monuments and one natural site in Ukraine are listed on UNESCO’s world heritage list, including the old city center of Odesa in the southwest which was added in 2023.
As the Ukrainian government submits a formal application, 16 more sites are on UNESCO’s preliminary list of world heritage status.
They include the centre of Chernigiv in northern Ukraine, which sustained heavy damage during a Russian siege in the early months of the conflict.
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The World Bank had pinned reconstruction and recovery efforts in Ukraine at 10 years.
The assessment also noted that the cost of rebuilding the country had shot up to $411 billion.
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