Historic sites in Ukraine at risk due to war: UNESCO

Kiev: UNESCO has said that due to the ongoing war with Russia, there is a danger of historical sites in Ukraine’s capital Kiev and Lviv city being destroyed. According to the UN cultural body, the sites include the iconic St Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, the medieval buildings of the city’s Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and the historical center in Lviv, the BBC reports. These sites have been placed on UNESCO’s list of World Heritage in Danger. In a statement, UNESCO said its World Heritage Committee had concluded that “these properties are at risk because of the war.” “Facing the threat of direct attack, these sites are at risk from bombardment.” Lviv’s historic Old Town was founded in the Middle Ages and has maintained its architectural and cultural heritage as an administrative, religious and commercial center from the 13th to the 20th centuries, the BBC reports. It was added to the World Heritage List in 1998. St. Sophia Cathedral, built in the 11th century, was designed to rival Hagia Sophia in Turkey, which was then part of Constantinople. It is one of the few surviving buildings from that era. The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was founded at approximately the same time as the cathedral. It was a major spiritual and cultural center of the Russian people. The latest addition to the list comes after the Ukrainian port city of Odessa was added to the threat list in January.