Ukraine calls for Russia to be expelled from UNESCO

The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory is calling on UNESCO and international partners to expel Russia from the organisation.

Source: Ukrainian Institute of National Memory

Details: The Institute is urging Ukrainians to sign a petition that will be sent to UNESCO and international partners in the coming days. The petition can be signed by leaving one's surname, first name and city in the comments under the post. At the time of publication, 993 people have left their signatures.

"We call on the international community to take consolidated action to stop the unprovoked war against Ukraine: the killing and abduction of children, civilians and military personnel, the destruction by Russia of Europe's cultural heritage in Ukraine, and to put an end to the systematic disregard for international law," the statement reads.

According to the Institute, during the years of the full-scale invasion, Russia has deliberately destroyed or damaged more than 1,600 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine. In particular, on 24 March, Russian forces struck the central part of the city, which is under UNESCO protection and is part of the world cultural heritage. The Bernardine Monastery complex, a historical landmark dating back to the 17th century, was damaged.

Last year, French non-profit organisation Pour l'Ukraine, pour leur liberté et la nôtre! ("For Ukraine, for their freedom and ours!") created a petition calling for Russia to be stripped of its membership in the International Council of Museums (ICOM).

The petition calls for the urgent expulsion of Russia and employees of Russian museums involved in the looting of Ukrainian collections in the occupied territories from the International Council of Museums.

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