The center of Ukrainian Odessa is now on the UNESCO World Heritage list

Paris - The historic center of the Ukrainian port city of Odesa is now on UNESCO's list of World Heritage Sites in Danger. At today's extraordinary meeting of the relevant committee in Paris, six out of 21 countries supported the proposal, 14 abstained, and Russia was the only country to vote against it. This was reported by the AFP agency.

The granting of this new status could help Odesa protect its cultural heritage, which has been endangered since the Russian invasion of Ukraine. It will allow the city access to international financial and technical assistance.

Odesa is located on the Black Sea coast and is the third largest city in Ukraine. Local landmarks include the Potemkin Stairs, a multi-kilometer labyrinth of catacombs, and the building of the theater. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, the city has been targeted by bombing multiple times. In July last year, part of the large glass roof and windows of the Odesa Museum of Fine Arts, established in 1899, was destroyed, according to the Reuters agency.

"Odesa, a free city, a world city, a legendary port that has left its mark on cinematography, literature, and art, is thus under the reinforced protection of the international community," stated UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay in a statement.

Russia criticized Ukraine's application at today's meeting as "superficial documentation," which was created by "copying and pasting a Wikipedia page" about Odesa. A representative of Russia also accused Ukrainian authorities of "destroying monuments themselves in Odesa."

The nomination of Odesa was announced last October by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky.