The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization puts Odesa under its symbolic protection as Russian strikes have regularly targeted the southern port city since the beginning of the full-scale invasion on Feb. 24.
“As the war is still going on, this inscription shows our collective determination to ensure that this city … is preserved from further destruction,” UNESCO Director-General Audrey Azoulay said.
As a major port hub, Odesa has become one of the cities targeted by Russia’s mass missile strikes since Oct. 10, 2022.
According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russia launched 15 Iranian-made kamikaze drones overnight on Dec. 10 at the southern Ukraine, 10 of which Ukraine shot down.
The attacks on Odesa Oblast significantly damaged local energy infrastructure, Ukraine’s southern military command reported early on Dec. 10.