Russian media outlets are spreading claims that UNESCO is allegedly “ignoring” or “overlooking” the destruction of cultural and historical monuments in Ukraine. In particular, they claim that the organization is not taking “sufficient steps” to protect cultural heritage. The disinformation was highlighted by StopFake.

In reality, the situation looks very different from the way propaganda attempts to portray it. UNESCO has been working directly in Ukraine for a long time, documenting the consequences of Russian aggression and collecting evidence of the destruction of cultural sites. International experts regularly travel to different regions, inspect damaged monuments, cooperate with Ukrainian institutions, and prepare official reports.

As of 26 November 2025, UNESCO experts had officially verified 512 cases of damage to or destruction of cultural heritage sites. These findings are based on a comprehensive verification process that includes satellite imagery analysis, on-site inspections, and cooperation with local historians. The documented damage includes 152 religious sites of various denominations, 268 historic and artistic buildings, 37 museums, 33 monuments, 18 libraries, 3 archaeological sites, and 1 archive. The precision of these figures undermines the claim that the organization has been “inactive”.

At the same time, Ukrainian state authorities provide a much broader picture of the destruction, as they have access to operational data from local communities, military administrations, and municipal authorities. According to their estimates, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 1,599 cultural heritage sites and 2,415 cultural infrastructure facilities have been affected. These include not only architectural monuments but also cultural centers, community arts venues, and artistic institutions. In addition, the destruction of 4,358 educational institutions has been documented, including 400 that have been completely destroyed – schools, universities, colleges, and kindergartens. This demonstrates the scale of the systematic destruction that Russia is inflicting on Ukraine’s educational and cultural sectors.

Importantly, some of the damaged sites are included on UNESCO’s World Heritage List. Among them are the historic centers of Odesa and Lviv, as well as Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

Experts also note the growing number of journalists killed by Russia while covering its armed aggression. According to UNESCO, 116 journalists have been killed since the start of the full-scale invasion by the terrorist state, including 18 while carrying out their professional duties.

StopFake emphasizes that claims suggesting UNESCO is ignoring the situation are outright disinformation. All of the figures cited are based on the work of international missions and official statistics from Ukrainian authorities. Therefore, assertions about UNESCO’s alleged “silence” or “inaction” are an attempt to downplay the scale of the destruction and divert the international community’s attention from Russia’s crimes against Ukraine’s cultural heritage.