Over half a million cultural artifacts evacuated from Ukraine's frontline

This was reported by the Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Mykola Tochitskyi, in an interview with Ukrinform.

According to him, the Polish presidency of the EU has proposed a clear plan for developing the platform established in February this year in Uzhhorod to address issues related to protecting cultural heritage that may be at risk of shelling or destruction during military conflicts.

"I was the main speaker on this topic and outlined the main tasks we face. Specifically, we are asking our colleagues to assist in evacuating cultural artifacts, as well as in preparing specialists in the fields of evacuation, restoration, and recovery," said the minister.

He noted that as of today, more than half a million cultural artifacts have been evacuated from 59 cultural sites in the frontline area to 21 museums across Ukraine.

The minister also discussed with European colleagues the issue of digitizing cultural heritage, which is a huge problem not only in Ukraine but also in many other countries. He emphasized that digitization is extremely important because, in the event of Ukrainian cultural artifacts being stolen by Russia and later sold on the black market, the compiled registries will be able to prove that the items belong to Ukraine.

• According to the Ministry of Culture, as of April 3, Russia has damaged 1,419 cultural heritage sites during the full-scale war.