UNESCO mission arrives in Odesa to assess damage from Russian attacks on cultural monuments

Photo: Odesa City Council

Alvina Kaminska

On July 29, after the Russian army shelled the historic center of Odesa, a UNESCO mission arrived in the city.

The Odesa City Council reported that.

As specified in the administration, UNESCO representatives arrived in Odesa to comprehensively assess the damage caused to cultural and religious sites by rocket attacks carried out by the enemy from July 19 to 23.

^{Photo: Odesa City Council}

The city council emphasized that the mission would record and document the consequences of Russian attacks.

"They will work in Odesa for four days. They will record and document the consequences of Russian terrorist attacks.

From our side, we will do our best to help the work of specialists. It is essential for us to convey to the whole world information about all the atrocities committed by the Russian Federation in Odesa," Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, wrote on Telegram.

^{Photo: Odesa City Council}

The mission is headed by Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, UNESCO coordinator in Kyiv, accompanied by experts. Now they are already inspecting the locations where the monuments were damaged.

^{Photo: Odesa City Council}

The administration stresses that about 50 monuments are damaged so the work will be intensive.

For reference:

On July 27, Russian invaders launched a missile attack on the port infrastructure of the Odesa region. The guard died.

In addition, on July 24, the enemy also terrorized Odesa. At night, an almost four-hour attack by "Shahed-136" drones was directed at the port infrastructure of the Danube.

It should be noted that the Minister of Development of Communities, Territories, and Infrastructure of Ukraine, Oleksandr Kubrakov, said that as a result of such hostile shelling in the south of the country, 26 port infrastructure facilities and five civilian ships have already been damaged and partially destroyed.

As the Air Forces commander of Ukraine's armed forces, Lieutenant General Mykola Oleschuk, said on July 26, the air defense destroyed 36 aerial targets: 3 Kalibr cruise missiles; 33 Kh-101/Kh-555 cruise missiles.

In addition, on the night of July 23, the Russian invaders hit Odesa with rockets. One hit the Transfiguration Cathedral, damaging the church building and the roof.

Russian rockets hit the historic center of the city. More than 20 historical monuments were damaged.