UKRAINE, KHARKIV OBLAST, Dec 23 — The Armed Forces of Ukraine have created a specialized unit for the protection of cultural heritage following international humanitarian law, reported the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine on December 21.

The unit’s task will be to coordinate efforts to protect, preserve, and prevent the destruction of cultural heritage sites that may be endangered due to armed conflicts, the General Staff says.

The creation of a special unit is another step in implementing the provisions of Part Two of Article 7 of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict at the national level.

The cultural heritage protection unit will operate within the civil-military cooperation structure of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. 

According to the General Staff, the new unit will include specialists with education and experience in culture, archaeology, history, and museum studies.

Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion, 1,179 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, including 120 of national significance and 990 of local significance. In the Kharkiv region, 216 cultural heritage monuments have suffered damage, with 181 of them located in the Kharkiv district.

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