UNESCO: Ukraine needs US$9 billion to rebuild its cultural sites

Ukraine will need US$9 billion over the next decade to rebuild its cultural heritage objects destroyed by Russia during the Russian-Ukrainian War.

UNESCO estimated that Ukraine’s culture and tourism industries have lost over US$19 billion in revenue during Russia’s full-scale invasion, and 341 cultural sites have been destroyed across the country. The total cost of destruction comes to nearly US$3.5 billion.

As an example, Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, the head of the UNESCO office in Ukraine, cited the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odesa that was damaged by the Russians in July 2023: “It’s a symbol of the community … with a deep spiritual and historical meaning.”

As reported earlier, UNESCO has confirmed the damage to 274 Ukrainian cultural sites.

RELATED: UNESCO is concerned about illegal trade of Ukrainian art

Source: AP

Main photo: Nakypilo media group 

Translation: Kateryna Liushyn

Editing: Tanya Mykhaylychenko