العربية
Ukraine’s modern heritage is under barbaric destruction,
The Russo-Ukrainian war continues, taking losses as a result of the attacks of the Russian army and the destruction of modern architectural structures one by one.
1,119 civilians were killed and 1,790 wounded, according to a Reuters report,
on the 34th day of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
The destruction amounted to a barbaric destruction of the architectural heritage,
which goes beyond being a mere humanitarian disaster and a war crime.
Every day, Kharkiv is subjected to inhumane and large-scale strikes,
with weapons prohibited by all agreements such as explosive and cluster bombs.
Russia meticulously destroys civilian infrastructure, objects, and residential areas,
bombs crowded places, and does not allow the Red Cross to provide food or health care to the city.
Ukraine’s modern heritage is under barbaric destruction
And so this is the genocide of a city of two million people, which is the intellectual,
industrial and cultural center of Ukraine, which is Kharkiv, the Ukrainian capital of constructivism.
Which includes the best things of interwar novelty, for example, the famous Derzhprom (or Gosprom).
In addition, the city contains many heritage objects of local and national significance from other historical periods.
For example, a neoclassical monument, the Assumption Cathedral,
and the theme of 1914 – the Labor Palace (the home of the former Russian insurance company), were heavily bombed.
At least 30 heritage sites listed have been destroyed or severely damaged,
and others are still in danger because Russia does not stop the strikes, even during negotiation procedures.
“This is not only a humanitarian catastrophe, not only a war crime,
but also the barbaric destruction of the architectural heritage of Ukrainian cities, our memory and our culture,” stated a Docomomo member.
Also important are important monuments, museums, historical buildings and cultural sites,
such as the Kuindzhi Museum of Art in Mariupol, the Gothic Revival Library in Chernihiv,
the Babin Yar Holocaust Memorial Complex in Kyiv, and the Soviet-era Slovo (Word) apartment complex in Kharkiv.
The Ivankiv Museum of Local History was already destroyed by the war.
UNESCO concern about Ukrainian monuments
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO),
published a statement on February 25 that said: “UNESCO is deeply concerned about the damage caused to the city of Kharkiv,
the UNESCO Creative City of Music and the historic center of Chernihiv, on the Ukrainian Tentative World Heritage List.”
When the attacks began on February 24, UNESCO issued a statement on March 3,
“demanding an immediate cessation of attacks on civilian facilities,
such as schools, universities, memorial sites and cultural and communication infrastructures,
and deplores the civilian casualties, including students, teachers, artists, scientists and journalists.”
“This includes women and children, especially girls, who are disproportionately affected by conflict and displacement.”
The organization also added that “in the field of culture, UNESCO affirms the obligations of international humanitarian law,
in particular the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its two Protocols,
(1954 and 1999), to refrain from causing damage to cultural property.
It also condemns all attacks and damage to cultural heritage in all its forms in Ukraine,
and UNESCO also calls for the full implementation of United Nations Security Council Resolution 2347.”
While UNESCO continued:
“UNESCO deeply regrets reports of damage to the works of the famous Ukrainian artist “Maria Primachenko”, whose founding was joined by UNESCO in 2009.”
Ukraine’s modern heritage is under barbaric destruction
UNESCO is working in close coordination with the Ukrainian authorities, in order to prevent attacks,
to mark as quickly as possible key historical monuments and sites throughout Ukraine with the distinctive sign of the 1954 Hague Convention.
It is an internationally recognized signal for the protection of cultural heritage in the event of armed conflict.
In addition, UNESCO has contacted the Ukrainian authorities with the aim of organizing a meeting with museum directors across the country
to help them respond to urgent needs to protect museum collections and cultural property.
In cooperation with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNOSAT),
UNESCO will monitor damage to cultural sites through the analysis of satellite images.
Recently, a group of volunteers from western Ukraine created an interactive website showing demolished buildings and cities in Ukraine,
including city names, photos, and dates of demolition.
Ukrainian engineers and designers have raised their voices and shared their visions with the global architectural community.
