Ukraine is awaiting an official response from UNESCO regarding the destruction caused by the Russian Federation to the historic center of Lviv. This was stated by Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga during a live broadcast of the telethon on March 24.
This is reported by Kyiv24
Assessment of Damage by International Experts
According to the minister, UNESCO experts will arrive in Ukraine shortly to assess the extent of the destruction caused by Russian strikes. Sybiga emphasized that the attack by Russia is not only a damage to buildings in the center of Lviv but also an assault on UNESCO World Heritage sites, as well as on the organization itself and all who value cultural heritage.
“I can confirm that experts will be arriving in Ukraine soon to assess the damage inflicted by Russian terrorists,” he said.
Currently, UNESCO has not officially announced the date of its representatives’ visit. Meanwhile, Kyiv continues to urge the organization to provide a clear and strong response to the Russian attacks.
Consequences of the Attack and Destruction of Historical Heritage
As a result of a drone strike carried out by Russian forces in the center of Lviv on March 24, at least 22 people are hospitalized, and the number of injured is rising. Local authorities report significant damage to the Bernardine Monastery Ensemble — a national architectural monument.
Russian forces systematically attack Ukrainian cities using various types of weaponry — drones, missiles, aerial bombs, and multiple launch rocket systems. Such strikes are often directed at civilian infrastructure.
Ukrainian officials and international organizations classify these shellings as war crimes committed by the Russian Federation, emphasizing their targeted nature.
Targeted strikes on vital facilities — energy, medical, water supply systems, as well as healthcare institutions — deprive people of basic living conditions. Such actions exhibit signs of genocide, according to the conclusions of human rights defenders and researchers on this issue.
Manifestations of genocidal actions include: public calls from Russian leadership for the destruction of Ukrainians, mass shelling of civilian infrastructure, persecution of pro-Ukrainian populations in occupied territories, extermination of the intelligentsia, deportation of children, and attempts to destroy Ukrainian cultural identity.
The UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, adopted in 1948, obliges member states to prevent manifestations of genocide and to punish those responsible for it, regardless of the time — during war or peace.
The Russian authorities officially deny that during the full-scale war, their army deliberately targets the civilian infrastructure of Ukrainian cities, destroying hospitals, schools, kindergartens, and energy and water supply facilities.