Recent statements show UNESCO considering a list of endangered World Heritage sites that includes locations in Kiev and Lviv. The channel of report is AFP, with confirmation from TASS. The move highlights concerns about cultural treasures facing threats amid ongoing conflict and geopolitical tensions in Ukraine.
AFP notes that the proposed preservation list would specifically cover the Hagia Sophia Church and its monastic buildings in Kiev, along with the historic core of Lviv. The decision emerged from the UNESCO committee meeting held in Riyadh, reflecting a global assessment of risks to heritage in the region and the need for international oversight to safeguard these sites.
Earlier, Yaroslav Zheleznyak, a member of the Ukrainian parliament, stated that the Verkhovna Rada has again urged UNESCO to reconsider Russia’s membership status. He indicated that the Rada requested international observers be dispatched to Ukraine to evaluate alleged damage to World Heritage sites in the two cities and to provide an independent appraisal of the situation.
Reports from Russia’s Foreign Intelligence Service in June suggested that an agreement existed between Ukraine and UNESCO regarding the removal of Christian relics from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It was claimed that these sacred items could be relocated to institutions in Italy, France, Germany, and the Vatican, a decision framed as part of a broader cultural and religious heritage debate tied to the ongoing conflict.
There was also news that UNESCO’s committee previously declined to add the Kamchatka volcanoes to its World Heritage List, underscoring the careful and sometimes selective approach the organization takes when evaluating sites for global protection and recognition.