Ukraine’s scientific infrastructure suffers over $1.26 bln in damage from Russian war – UNESCO

UNESCO stresses the importance of providing greater protection for scientific institutions, particularly universities, which have been severely damaged during the Russian Federation's invasion of Ukraine since February 2022.

UNESCO reports this.

According to reports, the total cost of restoring the state scientific infrastructure of Ukraine today is more than 1.26 billion dollars.

"As the situation becomes increasingly critical for the scientific community, we must protect and support their research in Ukraine," UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said.

It is reported that over the past two years, 1,443 buildings belonging to 177 institutions have been damaged or destroyed, and the buildings in the eastern part of the Kharkiv region were the most affected.

Almost 120 million dollars will be needed to repair the building of the National University of Law, named after Yaroslav the Wise in Kharkiv alone.

In addition, restoring or replacing damaged scientific equipment will cost a little more than 45 million dollars.

While the UNESCO report cited structural damage, the actual cost of the war on science is much higher.

The UNESCO report also mentions many displaced Ukrainian scientists: 4,887 people moved to other countries.

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According to UNESCO estimates, Ukraine will need $9 billion over the next ten years to rebuild its culture and tourism sector.

The two-year war with Russia has already cost Kyiv more than $19.6 billion in tourism revenue.

The European Commission stated that the total damage to the environment and eco-infrastructure in Ukraine due to the war is more than 52 billion euros.

In particular, Ukraine faced the environmental consequences of the destruction of the Kakhovka HPP, the worst man-made disaster since the accident at the Chornobyl nuclear power plant.

In addition, during Russia's full-scale war, the environment of Ukraine suffered damages in the amount of 2.2 trillion hryvnias. The Minister of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, Ruslan Strilets, stated this in response to DW's questions during a press conference within the United for Nature. Agenda for Ukraine international forum.

As Rubryka reported, the past two years of extensive Russian aggression have resulted in the devastation of human lives, infrastructure, the economy, and ecosystems. Rubryka, in collaboration with the NGO "Let's Do It Ukraine," has compiled the impact of the two-year war on the environment in Ukraine and globally. For more information, check out Rubryka's article: "Two years of ecocide: uncovering Russia's destruction of Ukraine and its global consequences."