The Minister of Culture of Ukraine Oleksandr Tkachenko appealed to UNESCO to deprive Russia of a member of the organization and change the host country of the 45th session of the World Heritage Committee.
He wrote about this on Facebook.
"Russia's armed attack on Ukraine is currently destroying numerous civilian and cultural heritage sites in Ukraine. Countless historical and architectural monuments and archaeological sites are under threat of artillery shelling and uncontrolled movement of heavy military trucks," emphasized Tkachenko.
The Minister reminded that since 2014 the Russian Federation has been systematically violating international humanitarian law and international conventions on the protection of cultural heritage, in particular on the occupied Crimean peninsula. Its actions have already damaged the ancient World Heritage-listed city of Tavria Chersonesos, the Bakhchisaray Palace of the Crimean Khans, which is on the tentative list, and other cultural heritage sites.
"Given this, Ukraine considers it unacceptable to continue Russia's presence in UNESCO. We expect that the Ukrainian side will receive an answer and a decision on this issue as soon as possible," Tkachenko said.
Earlier UNESCO declared that the Russian occupation of Crimea changed the perception of the historical and cultural heritage of Ukraine both by the state and society. Russia has appropriated more than 4,000 monuments on the peninsula.