Russian Attack Damaged Saint Sophia Cathedral UNESCO Heritage Site
JAKARTA - The Russian attack damaged the Saint Sophia Cathedral at the Kyiv historic center, one of Ukraine's most important monuments and world heritage sites.
"Last night, the enemy attacked the heart of our identities again," Ukraine's Minister of Culture Mykola Tochytskyi wrote on Facebook, calling the 11th-century cathedral "the soul of the entire Ukraine."
"The Sainth Sophia integral in Kyiv, a holy place that has survived for centuries and symbolizes the birth of our state, is broken," he said.
The blast wave damaged the cornice on the main apse of the historic building.
Pieces of white plaster collapsed to the ground with a gap visible in the ornamental part of the wall or cornice.
"This is the first time since the start of the war, the cathedral has been damaged," first deputy director general of the site Vadym Kyrylenko told reporters.
However, Russian drones flying close to the ground pose a threat amid constant airstrikes against the capital.
"As our security guards say, sometimes (the drone) almost touched the cross in the bell tower which is 76 meters above the ground," he said.
The cathedral was listed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 1990 because of its architectural importance.
The United Nations heritage body depicts white cathedral and monasteries complexes with green roofs and gold domes as symbols of the "new Constantinope" created in the region.
Kyrylenko reported no critical damage but said the nearly 1000-year-old site would be inspected by a special agency and repaired.
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More than a year after Russia's full-scale invasion of February 2022, the UNESCO World Heritage Committee placed Saint Sophia Cathedral on its World Heritage list in Danger "due to the threat of destruction posed by Russian attacks" against monuments and the integrity of its ancient interiors, mosaics, and frescos.
The site is also prone to shock waves, he said.
"It is not only protected by our country, but also protected by the whole world. It is a legacy throughout the world," said Kyrylenko.