Council of Europe Congress adopts resolution to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage

Europe’s oldest political body that upholds the principles of human rights, democracy and the rule of law adopted a resolution aimed at preserving Ukraine’s cultural heritage. 

It was adopted on Oct. 15 at the Congress of Local and Regional Authorities of the Strasbourg-based Council of Europe and received support from 122 delegates, the CoE’s office in Ukraine reported.

Since the onset of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 1,000 cultural sites in Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed. The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy previously reported that 1,938 sites had been affected.

Delegates of the Strasbourg-based political body said the targeted destruction and looting of cultural heritage sites appear to be a systematic Russia policy, designed to eliminate Ukraine’s historical and cultural identity, which constitutes a genocidal intent.

“It is therefore time to put Ukrainian cultural heritage and its recovery high on the political agenda, including at the 2025 Ukraine Recovery Conference to be held in Rome,” the document states.

The delegates insisted that Russia must compensate Kyiv for the damage it has caused to Ukraine’s historical, cultural, and religious heritage.

“Safeguarding cultural heritage helps connect the past to the future through a shared sense of identity and as such the European cultural heritage is intrinsically linked to human rights,” the document reads.

The congress urged local and regional authorities across Europe to actively support Ukraine by forming partnerships for the preservation of its cultural heritage. 

Such collaboration should not only address immediate needs for restoration and protection but also assess the damages and risks involved, they said.