Friday, June 3, marks 100 days of war in Ukraine. One of the many devastating effects has been de destruction of urban and rural environments. Ukraine’s cultural and architectural heritage is under threat. As of 30 May, UNESCO has verified damage to 139 sites affected by the ongoing hostilities. The list includes 62 religious sites, 12 museums, 26 historic buildings, 17 buildings dedicated to cultural activities, 15 museums, and seven libraries. According to UNESCO, the most affected buildings included in the list are in Kyiv. Still, damages are also found in the regions of Chernihiv, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhya, Zhytomyr, Donetsk, Lugansk, and Sumy. This represents a preliminary damage assessment for cultural properties done by cross-checking the reported incidents with multiple credible sources. The published data will be regularly updated.
Some officials believe that the number is much higher. Beate Reifenscheid, president of the German branch of the International Council of Museums (ICOM), has expressed concerns about the whole city of Mariupol, whose situation cannot be adequately evaluated, pointing out that the actual number of affected buildings might be much higher. German experts are gathering to save Ukraine’s valuable heritage. In March, the Network for the Protection of Cultural Property in Ukraine was launched by Claudia Roth, the German Federal Government Commissioner for Culture and the Media. ICOM Germany serves as the network’s headquarters, with other institutions joining the efforts.
Currently, funds are limited to helping institutions on the ground in Ukraine, as there are no plans to evacuate objects across borders. “This would deprive Ukraine of cultural assets,” explains Reifenscheid. Packaging materials are sent to protect valuable things, to transport and shelter movable material in safe locations within Ukraine. Special attention is given to offering means for fire protection, such as fire extinguishers, fireproof blankets, and non-flammable pastes to paint the wood.
Participating institutions support Ukraine with different expertise, like evaluating satellite photos to document damaged sites. The Ukrainian Ministry of culture and Information Policy has also created a website that allows eyewitnesses to report the damages. This documentation is essential because the destruction of cultural sites can be considered a war crime, especially if the aggressors are targeting buildings bearing the UNESCO-backed Blue Shield sign. According to Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of UNESCO’s World Heritage Center, the damage to historic sites has terrible consequences on the county’s cultural identity.
Since the start of the hostilities, on the 24th of February, an estimated 6.2 million people have fled Ukraine, and more than 8 million Ukrainians have been internally displaced, according to a report by the United Nations. This is the fastest forced population movement in Europe since the Second World War. The crisis is still unfolding, with hostilities threatening tens of millions of people. Their prolonged displacement also has a significant impact on the neighboring countries that offer support.
For refugees, housing is one of the most immediate needs. With the local housing stock already under pressure in many European cities, the private sector and private citizens have been instrumental in providing the necessary support to refugees. To assist these efforts, many governments are also providing financial support for private persons and tourist facilities accommodating Ukrainians. Besides accommodation, access to healthcare, mental health, and psychosocial support are essential components of humanitarian interventions, yet the healthcare system is already under stress due to the pandemic.
School-age children constitute a large share of arriving Ukrainian refugees, pointing to massive implications for school systems in the middle of the school year. The sudden incorporation of large numbers of refugee children poses a range of challenges. Various approaches are being assessed, including creating special classes for Ukrainian children to transition into local classrooms and hiring Ukrainian-speaking staff. To break the language barrier, language classes will be important for supporting adults in settling in and navigating their new communities.
The complex set of measures needed to adapt to this unexpected situation is likely to have a lasting impact on urban policies and, consequently, on European cities outside of Ukraine.
Check the list of organizations and aid groups you can contribute to and help alleviate the humanitarian crisis.
