The UNESCO mission arrived in Odesa to assess the damage to culture from Russian shelling

A UNESCO mission has arrived in Odesa — they will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the damage that Russia caused to the cityʼs cultural and religious objects during the rocket attacks from July 19 to 23.

Oleh Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, announced this.

"We met with the representatives of the organization. They arrived in Odesa with the mission of carrying out a comprehensive assessment of the damage to cultural and religious objects caused by missile strikes by Russia from July 19 to 23. They will work in Odesa for four days. The consequences of attacks by Russian terrorists will be recorded and documented," said the head of the regional military administration.

He added that as a result of the latest strikes by the Russian occupiers, 28 architectural monuments were damaged in Odesa.

The historical center of Odesa is under the protection of UNESCO. The organization previously announced that it would send its mission to the city to conduct a preliminary assessment of the damage caused to cultural objects.

• After withdrawing from the "grain agreement", Russia intensified large-scale attacks on the south of Ukraine, in particular on the Odesa region. The invaders attacked the region on the night of July 18, 19, 20, and 21, severely damaging port infrastructure, residential buildings, and trade networks. The Russians destroyed tens of thousands of tons of grain. On the night of July 23, Russia struck the historic center of Odessa. Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Ukrainian air defense capabilities are not enough to protect all regions.