Ukraine calls for cultural sanctions after Russian strike damages UNESCO heritage site in Lviv

A targeted Russian attack on the central part of Lviv, which resulted in damage to a UNESCO World Heritage site, is an act of barbarism and a cultural crime.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry said this in a statement published on the government portal, Ukrinform reports.

"The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine strongly condemns yet another act of barbarism and a crime against culture committed by the Russian Federation against Ukraine. On this occasion, the aggressor carried out a targeted strike with drones on the central part of Lviv, causing damage to UNESCO World Heritage sites within the historic center of the city," the ministry said.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry noted that as a result of drone strikes on civilian buildings in central Lviv, people were injured.

"This attack constitutes not only a war crime against civilians but also a direct assault on humanity’s cultural heritage, which enjoys international protection," diplomats said.

The ministry recalled that with the support of international partners and UNESCO, Ukraine established its first UNESCO Cultural Hub in Lviv – a center dedicated to safeguarding, restoring, and supporting Ukrainian culture during wartime

"By striking at the heart of Lviv, the Russian Federation has demonstrated a brutal disregard for the efforts of the international community and UNESCO itself," the ministry said.

Diplomats stressed that Russia is systematically violating the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

"We call upon UNESCO and all international partners to move beyond expressions of concern. An aggressor that deliberately destroys world heritage in a city hosting UNESCO's official Cultural Hub must be deprived of any influence in international institutions and subjected to severe punishment," the ministry said.

Ukrainian diplomats officially appealed to the UNESCO Secretariat and the member states of the World Heritage Committee to document the consequences of the attack and initiate additional cultural sanctions against Russia.

The Ukrainian Foreign Ministry expressed condolences to the affected residents of Lviv and stressed that every instance of destruction and damage to sites of global significance in the historic center will be thoroughly documented, so that the aggressor state and individual perpetrators are held accountable before both national and international jurisdictions.