Ukraine’s National Commission for UNESCO has called on the organisation’s leadership and member states to step up protection of Ukraine’s scientific heritage following the Russian attack on Kyiv on 28 September, which damaged the building housing the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Ukraine is asking for the damage to be documented and for collections at risk of destruction to be preserved and digitised.
Briefly about the main points
- The building housing the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv was damaged by a Russian attack.
- The Commission calls on UNESCO to document the damage and safeguard research funding.
- Documents, research and scientific collections may be at risk.
- Sybiga is calling for Russia’s rights within UNESCO to be restricted; no decision has yet been taken.
- The State Emergency Service reported one fatality and six people injured.
The academy’s governing bodies are operating from the damaged building
The Presidium is in session in the building National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, which organises and coordinates the academy’s scientific activities. It also houses the headquarters of the Science Sector of the National Commission of Ukraine for UNESCO.
The Commission stated that the consequences of the attack are not limited to damage to a historic building: an institution central to the country’s scientific life has been hit. According to its assessment, unique documents, research findings and scientific collections are at risk.
The commission described the Russian attacks on universities, libraries, museums and archives as part of a systematic policy aimed at destroying Ukrainian identity, historical memory and educational potential.
Kyiv asks UNESCO to assess the attacks and provide funding
The Ukrainian Commission has written to the Director-General UNESCO, the organisation’s bodies and member states, calling on them to take a firm stance on the attacks on Ukraine’s scientific, educational and cultural institutions. She also called for increased international pressure on Russia and for those responsible to be held to account.
The proposed measures include documenting the damage caused, providing international protection for scientific heritage, and offering assistance with the preservation and digitisation of collections. UNESCO is already implementing measures in Ukraine to monitor damage, protect documentary collections and ensure digital preservation.
As of 1 July, UNESCO had verified damage to 540 cultural sites in Ukraine. Separately, the organisation reported that, since the start of the full-scale war, 1,443 buildings and laboratories belonging to 177 state-run scientific institutions had been damaged or destroyed.
Sibiga proposed stripping Russia of its voting rights
Minister of Foreign Affairs Andriy Sibiga called on UNESCO to strip Russia of its voting rights and the right to be elected to the organisation’s governing and working bodies. He also stated that Ukraine’s air defences needed to be strengthened and that sanctions pressure on Moscow should be increased.
This is a request from the Ukrainian side, not an announcement of a decision already taken by UNESCO. Russia is also not listed among the members of the organisation’s Executive Board for the 2023–2027 term; however, this does not mean that it automatically loses its right to vote as a Member State at the General Conference.
The fire has been put out; rescue workers are dismantling the structures
The figures regarding the casualties vary across reports. A report published earlier in the day by Interfax-Ukraine concerning Sibiga’s statement mentioned three fatalities, including two academics. An evening report from the State Emergency Service contained different information: one person had died and six had been injured in the NAS building; the rescue services did not confirm the deaths of two academicians.
By the evening, the fire had been brought under control. Engineering equipment is at the scene and work is underway to clear away the damaged structures. Rescuers evacuated two people from the third floor using a ladder.
