Ministry of Culture turns to UNESCO over demolition of OCU church in Crimea

Acting Minister of Culture Rostyslav Karandeyev. Photo: Screenshot from Ukrinform

Acting Minister of Culture Rostyslav Karandeyev announced that the Ministry of Culture had sent a note to UNESCO regarding the demolition of an OCU church in Yevpatoria, as reported by Suspilne.

Karandeyev stated that the demolished church was a place of worship and an architectural object, albeit a relatively recent one. Its demolition is perceived as an inhumane act and a "deliberate act of eradicating Ukrainian faith and the Ukrainian idea from Crimea."

"We have sent the appropriate note to UNESCO and the international community. We have documented this act as much as possible – unfortunately, still under conditions of remote monitoring – as one of the manifestations of genocide, specifically religious genocide by Russia. It has been added as further evidence in the future claim against the Russian Federation for the significant damages caused in Ukraine (in temporarily occupied territories)," Karandeyev said.

He also mentioned that UNESCO is assisting the Ministry of Culture in aligning Ukrainian legislation with international standards.

As previously reported by the UOJ, on the night of May 16-17, authorities in Kyiv demolished the Tithes Church of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

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