Among these are 29 religious sites, 16 historic buildings, four museums and four monuments, for which Unesco was able to confirm the damage through satellite images and officials on the spot , a Unesco spokesman explained, according to whom the list “is not exhaustive”. “Our experts continue to look at a number of reports,” he said.

Five of these sites are located in the northern region of Chernihiv, a city pounded by the bombs of the Russian army, which has been included on an “indicative” Unesco list, meaning that Kyiv must submit its candidacy to be part of ithe UN World Heritage.

Another five are in the Kyiv region and 18 in that of  Kharkiv, which is also the target of heavy bombardment, according to the Unesco list in the possession of the French News Agency. The remaining areas are divided between the regions of Sumy (in the northeast), Zhytomyr (west of Kiev), Zaporizhia (south), Donetsk and Luhansk (east).

Asked if he knew if any damage had been done by Russian forces, the spokesman said: “For those 53 places where we were able to verify the damage, there have been reports from the Ukrainian authorities”, suggesting that Moscow was responsible.

At least 53 cultural sites have been destroyed in Ukraine since the start of the Russian invasion on February 24, according to the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Unesco).

Among these are 29 religious sites, 16 historic buildings, four museums and four monuments, for which Unesco was able to confirm the damage through satellite images and officials on the spot , a Unesco spokesman explained, according to whom the list “is not exhaustive”. “Our experts continue to look at a number of reports,” he said.

Five of these sites are located in the northern region of Chernihiv, a city pounded by the bombs of the Russian army, which has been included on an “indicative” Unesco list, meaning that Kyiv must submit its candidacy to be part of ithe UN World Heritage.

Another five are in the Kyiv region and 18 in that of  Kharkiv, which is also the target of heavy bombardment, according to the Unesco list in the possession of the French News Agency. The remaining areas are divided between the regions of Sumy (in the northeast), Zhytomyr (west of Kiev), Zaporizhia (south), Donetsk and Luhansk (east).

Asked if he knew if any damage had been done by Russian forces, the spokesman said: “For those 53 places where we were able to verify the damage, there have been reports from the Ukrainian authorities”, suggesting that Moscow was responsible.