UNESCO condemns recent Russian attack on historic center of Odesa

UNESCO has condemned Russia’s overnight strikes on Odesa’s historic center overnight on Nov. 15, which damaged numerous architectural monuments, according to a statement on its official website.
As a result of the Russian attack overnight on Nov. 15, a 35-year-old was killed. The strike also injured 10 people, with eight of them hospitalized with injuries of varying severity.
“UNESCO condemns these strikes, which contravene international law, and expresses its support for the victims, the population, and the local authorities,” reads the statement published on Nov. 18.
The historical center of the southern city of Odesa was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site in January 2023.
“Once again, UNESCO is calling for an end to all attacks on cultural property protected under widely ratified international standard-setting instruments.”
A UNESCO mission led by Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, head of the UNESCO Office in Ukraine, arrived on Nov. 16 to inspect the recently damaged cultural heritage sites. The organization has not yet provided the results of the assessments.
Since the beginning of the all-out war, Russia has destroyed over 1,000 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine, including those under the protection of UNESCO, according to the Culture Ministry.
In July 2023, the Russian missile strike damaged more than 20 architectural monuments in the historical center of Odesa and heavily damaged the Transfiguration Cathedral.
On Oct. 28,  the Russian bomb hit an iconic 13-story building situated in the very heart of Kharkiv, known as Derzhprom, or the State Industry House. Derzhprom was added to UNESCO’s preliminary list in 2017 and was placed under provisional enhanced UNESCO protection after Russia’s full-scale invasion.
As of Oct. 21, UNESCO confirmed the damage to 457 sites, including 143 religious sites, 231 buildings of historical or artistic interest, 32 museums, 33 monuments, 17 libraries, and one archive.