НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab

The war leaves damage to historic buildings, even if the bombs do not hit them directly: broken windows, ruined roofs, old cracks opening up and new ones forming. Among the victims are the historic Primerivska Street in Kharkiv, which has preserved its architectural heritage for over a century and a half, and the neighboring Poshtovyi Lane. Primerivska Street is one of the few streets in Kharkiv that has never changed its name. It was first mentioned in 1848. The military, artisans, and workers lived here, and only a few houses were occupied by nobles. Among the damaged buildings are House No. 4, a three-story modernist apartment building built in 1913 by an architect, House No. 9, an architectural monument of the late nineteenth century, and an old brick house No. 18. There was also a house on Poshtovyi Lane next door to the City Post Office — an architectural monument and one of the oldest buildings in Kharkiv. The materials documenting these and other objects will be available on the https://www.heritage.in.ua by prior registration. Expeditions to the regions and documentation of losses are possible thanks to the support of the Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative and Cultural Emergency Response

The cultural heritage of the Kharkiv region is under constant enemy fire. In November alone, 149 air raids were announced in the area. To date, HEMO experts have documented over 550 damaged cultural heritage sites in the Kharkiv region. And this is not the final figure. The team does not have access to certain areas due to constant shelling and hostilities. In Kharkiv alone, there are more than 300 damaged objects - historical monuments of culture and architecture. The affected buildings are collapsing, awaiting stabilization works that cannot be started due to constant attacks. “Unfortunately, today the cultural heritage of the Kharkiv region is in a critical condition. Certain sites in Kharkiv and the region have been suffering from destruction for more than two years. Without roofs, windows, and walls, some of them are facing their third winter in a state of emergency,” says architect Viktor Dvornikov. The situation is even more difficult in towns close to the front line, such as Kupiansk. The town was an important economic and transportation hub and was actively developing in the 19th and early 20th centuries. “This historic place is being ruined today, and what we examined there earlier is no longer accurate, because today the figures will be multiplied by several times. Apparently, all the cultural heritage sites that we previously examined in Kupiansk have been seriously damaged,” explains Dvornikov. The situation in Vovchansk is even more tragic, as the town has been razed to the ground. Dvornikov adds that besides the fact that the heritage sites suffer from constant strikes, there is a lack of specialists in the region who could take care of their restoration. “There is a request for experts, the international community, specialists who could really help with the development of projects to stabilize these sites,” says the architect. Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative Cultural Emergency Response

Utilitarian attitude, inflicting moral damage, and continuation of Soviet “traditions”: why invaders destroy Ukrainian cultural heritage. HeMo experts have examined more than 1,000 destroyed or damaged cultural heritage sites. In liberated towns, we often see looted museums, vandalized houses of culture, and damaged churches. “We are convinced every time we go on expeditions that heritage is a direct target. Cultural objects are often targeted even in villages without a military presence. It's just that the village was in the frontline zone, and this object seemed like a convenient target for an artilleryman from the opposite side. There are dozens of such attacks in the Kherson region. And our data, surveys, and testimonies we collected during the expedition show that the military had no motive to attack these objects,” says architect Ivan Shchurko. In houses of culture, the epicenter of a hit is usually the assembly hall. The same applies to schools. Experts suggest the aggressor army may believe Ukrainian soldiers are there. However, eyewitness accounts reject this. Physically, a large unit could not have been deployed there, making the attack disproportionate. “They have a very utilitarian attitude toward heritage,” says expert Roksolana Makar. “That is, they see a church in an occupied village, usually as some kind of high point, a bell tower, which it is possible to climb. For example, they are very much afraid that local or some Ukrainian saboteurs will use this bell tower to climb and track down the Russian military.” Another factor is inflicting moral suffering on civilians. A church central to a community holds deep significance. A priest can often be a moral authority. “We went to the Mykolaiv region, and there were a lot of German colonies there, and Catholic and Protestant communities are very common,” says the expert. “One of the sites we documented was a Catholic church in the village of Kyselivka. It was an important building because people came not only for services but also for assistance. This church was targeted about 5 times. When the Russians were pushed back from the village, they shelled it from the neighboring settlement. The church was in ruins. There were only two walls left. Everything inside was burned.” This attitude echoes the Soviet tradition of disregard for historical heritage. In Lukishivka, Chernihiv region, the invaders used a church as an ammunition depot, which exploded, destroying the building. Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative Cultural Emergency Response

HeMo: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab experts document not only the damage to buildings for their subsequent reconstruction or restoration, but also conduct documentation using the Forensic heritage methodology. It was developed on purpose to document cultural heritage in times of war, preserving the authenticity of data on each fact of damage, and thus provide an evidence base for judicial investigations. “Speaking about how this can be used, first of all, there is the International Criminal Court. Next, we have Ukrainian law enforcement agencies, and this is quite a promising story. It can be much easier to bring someone to justice on our territory. There are jurisdictions of other countries. War crimes, genocide, crimes against humanity have the universal jurisdiction in many countries around the world. It means that you don't have to be a citizen of the State or even commit a crime on its territory to be convicted in that country,” explains HeMo expert Roksolana Makar. “It seems to me that we have chances in different institutions. And most likely, those people who are responsible for the destruction of heritage are responsible for many other war crimes.” The Forensic Heritage methodology includes a clearly defined algorithm of actions: from how to handle objects to how to record each frame. An important step is to work with metadata to confirm the authenticity of the information: when it happened, who took the picture, and what exactly is oin the image. “The photographer must take a clean SD card. All these photos can't be edited, they can't be deleted if the shot is not good, it's an untouchable object for us, which we keep for future criminal cases” Makar explains.  For such documentation, it is also important to go to the damaged site as soon as possible. After all, over time, witnesses forget details, fragments of missiles, drones or shells are removed, and destruction degrades under the influence of time and weather conditions.  In general, the Ukrainian practice of documenting damage to cultural heritage within a few days is one of the first in history. “It is important not to wait, but to collect all these documents so that when a war criminal is brought to justice and an investigation is launched, we can add these materials to the case,” the expert concludes. Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative Cultural Emergency Response

By documenting cultural heritage loss, we advocate for conservation and restoration of damaged sites. In October 2024, experts from HeMo: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab conducted a survey in southern Ukraine, focusing on the city of Odesa. The team inspected 21 sites, some of which had been previously documented as damaged in 2023. During this visit, the experts evaluated the current state of these buildings, noting restoration efforts and, in some cases, further deterioration. Two buildings damaged by missile strikes had been demolished by the time of the expedition. One was the three-story Kanel house at 14 Kartamyshevska Street, built in the 1890s, destroyed by a rocket on December 29, 2023. The remains were later taken down. The other, at 25 Primorskaya Street, was a two-story mid-nineteenth century building known as Mashevsky's Warehouses, dismantled without any clear reason. This building had lost its status as an architectural monument in 2008. Some buildings, though significantly damaged, have potential for restoration. However, the lack of prompt restoration work leaves them vulnerable to further weather damage. An example is the Solomos House, an architectural monument that took a direct missile hit on July 23, 2023. The attack destroyed the attic, part of the third floor, and part of the second floor. At the time of the monitoring, no restoration work had been initiated; some windows were covered, while others remained intact. The Samokhvalov Apartment Building, another architectural monument, had started roof restoration to replace the structure and cornice. This building was damaged on November 5, 2023, by a nearby explosion, which also affected a corner bay window and the apartments behind it. The building has since suffered two fires, burning out a third of its roof. Among positive restoration examples is the Transfiguration Cathedral, partially destroyed in a missile strike in July 2023. Also notable is a three-story factory-kitchen from 1931. Despite damage, it has retained its Constructivist style, rare in Odesa. Documentation of these sites will be accessible at https://www.heritage.in.ua by registration, with expeditions supported by the World Monuments Fund U.S. Ambassadors Fund for Cultural Preservation U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine. Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative Cultural Emergency Response

Berlin is rich with examples of postwar reconstruction and memorialization. During our recent workshop on cultural heritage in Ukraine, we visited a variety of memorial sites and museums that could give our participants much to consider for their own country’s context. The Neues Museum, Jewish Museum Berlin, and Stiftung Topographie des Terrors were just several we reflected on together. THANK YOU to David Chipperfield Architects' office for the incredible tour of their reconstruction of the Neues Museum, which suffered severe damage from bombings in World War II. Photos: Nataliia Rak Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative Artistic Freedom Initiative DePaul University College of Law University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab

Making the Ukrainian heritage sector more resilient, building transatlantic relationships, and encouraging cultural exchange between the United States and #Ukraine were major topics at our second workshop with Ukrainian heritage and museum professionals in May. We met with our colleagues in Berlin, Germany, to continue strengthening our work around documenting the destruction of #culturalheritage in Ukraine and planning for future collaborations with Ukrainian NGOs that are making significant impact in the realms of heritage, memorialization, and justice during the ongoing war. НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab Smithsonian Cultural Rescue Initiative Artistic Freedom Initiative DePaul University College of Law University of Pennsylvania Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology Deborah Ziska Photos: Nataliia Rak, Nataliia Dvornikova, Sarah Tucci 

On May 23, Russian forces shelled Kharkiv again. It is known that one of the rockets hit the Printing house FactorDruk, this is one of the largest full-cycle printing complexes in Europe. The attack on the printing house is also a crime against culture, as it prints books for almost all Ukrainian publishers, including Vivat Publishing House. Vivat Publishing House also encourages you to open their books to the last pages and see how many of them were printed at FactorDruk. We have not recorded any hits on other cultural heritage sites. There are casualties and injured. Our condolences to the families and friends of the victims. How to help Видавництво бестселерів Vivat , Letter of Appeal from Yuliya Orlova, the CEO of Vivat https://lnkd.in/dgxd5Dg6

On May 12 at The Hague Humanity Hub, the Penn Cultural Heritage Center and Artistic Freedom Initiative will engage esteemed experts and cultural rights defenders for a conversation about personal safety during crises. Register in advance for free: https://lnkd.in/eg7cswia Panelists: Brian I. Daniels, Director of Research and Programs, PennCHC Sanjay Sethi, Co-Executive Director, AFI Mohammad Fahim Rahimi, Former Director, National Museum of Afghanistan Roksolana Makar, Researcher, НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab Mania Akbari, Iranian artist, curator, and filmmaker Gracie Golden, Senior Officer of Strategic Initiatives and Relocation, AFI, moderator

We are pleased to be involved in such a case thanks to our donors and partners, the World Monuments Fund. On March 11, 2022, this building, which houses the Chernihiv Regional Library for Youth, was almost completely destroyed by the russian federation army, dropping aerial bombs on it. But this is not just a library - in 1902, the only Ukrainian museum in the russian empire was opened in this building. The initiator of its creation was a patron, collector, and descendant of a noble family - Vasyl Tarnovsky. The Museum of Antiquities soon became the Chernihiv Historical Museum, and in 1978, a decision was made to organize the Chernihiv Regional Library for Youth here. We visited Chernihiv several times and surveyed this library. During one of these visits, Emmanuel Durand and Serhiy Revenko made a 3D model (carried out photogrammetry and laser scanning of the building), and Dr. Bruno Deslandes made a very detailed 3D model. We shared all this data with the architects who worked on the restoration of the library. In November 2022, experts from the HeMo: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab were on an expedition in the Chernihiv region and documented the damage to the library. The documentation data was passed on to the World Monuments Fund, and a decision was made to support the object's restoration. And now we can say that with our participation, Chernihiv has restored the roof of the historical building of the library, which is a monument of 19th-century architecture. After dismantling the emergency structures, the destroyed part of the building was restored. All the brick walls of the monument were reproduced in the corresponding authentic forms, and new structures were reinforced with metal elements. A new attic structure and a roof were installed on the building using a truss system with a framework structure of transverse beams. In addition, the stone masonry of the flue ducts was restored. We are very pleased that the monument is being restored following all norms and based on current data. We believe that there will be more such cases. Currently, the local authorities of Chernihiv are negotiating further restoration of this building. Building restoration photos: Roksolana Makar, May 2, 2024. Damage photos: Matthew Pohranychnyi, November 1, 2022.