PARIS: The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) strongly condemned Russia’s “brazen” attack on Ukraine’s Odesa, which resulted in significant damage to the port city’s World Heritage centre.
In a statement released on Sunday, UNESCO expressed deep dismay and denounced the Russian forces’ aggressive act that struck several cultural sites in the city centre of Odesa, a location that is home to the World Heritage property ‘The Historic Centre of Odesa’.
Russian Attack Causes Destruction to Ukraine’s Ports
The attack, which is part of Russia’s ongoing aggression against Ukraine and its Black Sea city, caused serious destruction in one of Ukraine’s most vital ports. It came after Moscow’s decision to withdraw from a grain deal that allowed Kyiv to export its grain. Tragically, the strike resulted in the loss of at least two lives.
Audrey Azoulay, the Director-General of UNESCO, denounced the attack as an alarming escalation of violence targeting Ukraine’s cultural heritage. The strike caused significant damage to the Transfiguration Cathedral, a historically significant site originally built in 1794 during imperial Russian rule. The cathedral was demolished under the regime of Soviet leader Stalin in 1936 and later reconstructed in the 1990s after the collapse of the Soviet Union.
