Documentation and registration of damages and destructions of cultural heritage objects during the armed aggression of Russia against Ukraine

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to highlight the main aspects of accounting and registration of national cultural heritage of Ukraine, to describe the current state of documentation of crimes committed by the Russian Federation against Ukrainian cultural heritage on the territory of Ukraine, and to outline the prospects for digitisation and creation of an online register of cultural heritage of Ukraine. The methodological approach of the study is based on the use of both general scientific and specific methods of cognition. These include: terminological analysis, systems analysis, as well as methods of analysis and synthesis, logical analysis, and visualisation of research results. The scientific novelty of this work lies in the systematisation and analysis of methods for documenting and registering damages and destructions of cultural heritage objects caused by Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine, which allows for a deeper understanding and assessment of the scale and consequences of such actions on cultural heritage. Conclusions. The protection and preservation of unique cultural heritage during the war have become priority tasks for cultural institutions across Ukraine. Currently, the documentation of destruction and damage caused by Russian occupying forces is particularly critical. Cultural values are always at high risk during armed conflicts. The military actions of the Russian Federation have led to horrific crimes against cultural heritage, including the destruction and mass exodus of cultural values, the scale of which is shocking. Fully assessing the damage in combat zones and occupied territories remains impossible. Active evidence collection of Russia’s war crimes against Ukrainian culture is ongoing. The situation in the war with Russian occupiers highlights a blatant disregard for international norms and UNESCO conventions concerning the protection of cultural objects and art collections, as well as violations of all established laws and customs of war, which constitute a large-scale military crime.