Prosecutor General reveals the scale of Russian crimes against Ukrainian culture on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly
Prosecutor General Andriy Kostin drew the attention of the international community to Russia’s large-scale crimes against Ukrainian cultural heritage during a discussion on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly entitled “Cultural identity and heritage in conditions of armed conflict: lessons learned and ways of protection”.
He reported, that during the full-scale invasion, Russia destroyed or damaged 1,147 cultural objects in Ukraine. The Russians are trying not only to destroy historical monuments, but also to erase Ukrainian national identity.
A specialized unit has been created in the Prosecutor General’s Office, which provides procedural management in 75 criminal proceedings regarding war crimes committed by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian cultural heritage. This applies both to the destruction of monuments and the deterioration of cultural heritage sites, in particular those included in the UNESCO list, in the occupied territories. In addition, Russia is engaged in large-scale looting, the scale of which can only be compared with the theft of cultural property by the Nazis during World War II.
“Ukrainian education is banned. Ukrainian books are seized, sometimes publicly burned. Local Ukrainian leaders and cultural figures disappear or go through torture chambers and filtration camps”, – emphasized Kostin.
The Prosecutor General emphasized that Ukrainian cultural heritage is part of the world cultural heritage, and the entire international community must unite to hold Russia accountable for these barbaric crimes and prevent the illegal trafficking of cultural values.
Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court Karim Khan, US Deputy Secretary of State for Public Diplomacy Lee Satterfield, Ambassador Clint Williamson and Head of the Unit for Responsibility for Crimes in Ukraine of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands Elke Koning also took part in the discussion.
