UNESCO adds ancient Crimean city to endangered heritage list

UNESCO added the ancient city of Chersonese in Crimea to its list of endangered heritage sites on Thursday, saying the site was under threat from construction work and archaeological activity while under Russian occupation. The ruins of Chersonese were founded by Dorian Greeks in the fifth century BC and are more than 2,000 years old. The site is described as one of the most important archaeological locations in the Black Sea region. UNESCO placed Chersonese on its World Heritage list in 2013 but has been unable to access it since Russia seized Crimea from Ukraine in 2014. The UN culture body has raised concern over satellite imagery showing construction at the site, including what Ukraine says is a new amphitheatre built by Russian-installed authorities. In a draft decision adopted Thursday, UNESCO's World Heritage Committee warned that the site was under threat because of a significant loss of authenticity and integrity linked to new building work and related archaeological excavations. The committee urged all parties involved in the site's conservation to avoid action that could cause further irreversible direct or indirect damage. Ukraine's foreign minister, Andriy Sybiga, welcomed the decision and said on X that the site was being ruined by Russian occupation authorities. Russia said it did not recognise the ruling. Russia's UNESCO representative, Rinat Alyautdinov, said Russia was doing everything possible to preserve the ancient city and its monuments. Since Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022, UNESCO has recorded damage to more than 500 cultural sites across Ukraine, including churches, museums and monuments. The source also said a Russian strike last month caused a fire at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site venerated by Orthodox Christians.