The Smithsonian Institute of the United States, which depends on the Government, monitors some 26,000 Ukrainian cultural treasures to prevent their destruction or theft by Russia.
“There are precedents” for the theft of Ukrainian artifacts, explained this Friday the director of the Center of Cultural Heritage of the US Department of State, Eric Catalfamo, referring to the Russian annexation of the Crimean peninsula in 2014.
In During a briefing, Catalfamo discussed the work that the Cultural Heritage Coordinating Committee, a group made up of members from various US government agencies, does to prevent and document the destruction of heritage around the world.
On Thursday, for example, the State Department organized a dialogue between Ukrainian professionals and members of the American museum community to hear their thoughts on what the pro problems they face on the ground.
In addition, US officials offer assistance and training to their Ukrainian colleagues to help them preserve threatened monuments and works of art.
Even so, the Administration acknowledges that until now they have only been able to record the damage and offer advice.
“The The focus is on protecting cultural heritage, collections and monuments within Ukraine,” explained the director of the Smithsonian’s Cultural Rescue Initiative, Corine Wegener, in response to a question about moving artifacts out of the country.
Wegener assured that there is a willingness on the part of the world’s museums, especially European ones, to help Ukraine in any way possible, but that the decision must be made by the Ukrainian cultural authorities.
“Until now I have not heard any indication of a similar plan,” said the director of the initiative VAT.
The director of the Laboratory of Cultural Heritage Monitoring of the Virginia Museum of Natural History, Hayden Basset, insisted that her job is to produce information so that her Ukrainian partners can decide how to act.
Since the war began, the laboratory has recorded a total of 120 potential impacts on heritage sites in Ukraine using satellite information.
Of these, 120 have occurred in monuments, 58 in temples, ten in museums, two in art centers and one in an archaeological excavation.
On Thursday, President Joe Biden asked the US Congress to 33,26 additional million dollars in funding for Ukraine. The State Department was unable to provide information on whether part of this money will go to its heritage preservation efforts in the country.
You may also be interested in:
–US Congress gives Biden powers to lend more weapons to Ukraine
–Biden asks for $26,000 millions for Ukraine and reforms against Russia
–Zelensky met with the US Secretaries of State and Defense, said a Ukrainian official