The world community strongly condemned Russia’s shelling of the historical center of Odesa which damaged and disfigured the Orthodox Transfiguration Cathedral. Many Western delegations visited Odesa but only two Western states promised their assistance.
By Willy Fautré, director of Human Rights Without Frontiers with Dr Ievgeniia Gidulianova from Odesa
HRWF (24.07.2024) – On the night of 23 July 2023, the Transfiguration Cathedral was seriously damaged and disfigured during a massive Russian missile attack on the historical center of Odesa which is part of UNESCO World Heritage. The world community strongly condemned Russia’s act of aggression while Patriarch Kirill of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) kept silent about it and about President Putin’s responsibility. One year later, Father Miroslav (Miroslav Vdodovitch), the rector of the Cathedral, has still not seen the first Euros that were promised by UNESCO.
Italy’s Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and the Consul General of the Hellenic Republic in Odesa, Dimitrios Dohtsis were first on the line to quickly announce their support in the media.
On the first anniversary of this cultural tragedy, the Brussels-based NGO, Human Rights Without Frontiers, published a damning report (in English and in Ukrainian) about UNESCO’s blocking the transfer of 500,000 EUR donated by Italy to Odesa for the restoration of the Cathedral.
Italy, Odesa and the Cathedral, a love story
Italy has some historical links with Odesa and the Transfiguration Cathedral as the first architects of Odesa were mainly Italians.
The Cathedral started to be built in 1795 but construction lagged several years behind schedule. Thanks to the intervention of the famous Duke of Richelieu, who was appointed as governor of the city in 1803, the Italian architect Francesco Frappoli was employed to complete the edifice. He is well-known in Odesa for making in 1810 the original design of the first luxurious Opera House, where Italian opera prevailed. Unfortunately, in 1873 the building was completely destroyed by fire and other historical buildings in the city as well.
In the period from the 1820s to the 1850s, the city of Odessa had a very significant and important Italian colony among its inhabitants. The euphonious language of “Golden Italy” was constantly heard on the streets.
Talented Italian architects then created the image of young Odessa, gave the city an extraordinary flavor, forever inscribing it among the most beautiful cities in Europe. It was the Italians who built the key buildings in the city center in the first half of the 19th century, which adorn Odessa to this day.
The heart of Odesa, World Heritage, heavily damaged by Russian missiles
Four days after Russia’s shelling, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy arrived in Odesa to visit the rehabilitation departments where Ukrainian defenders were recovering and to inspect the damage caused to the Orthodox Cathedral of Transfiguration. He quickly discovered that in July 2023, more than 30 cultural heritage sites were damaged, including:
- Odessa Transfiguration Cathedral (missile strike on July 23, 2023).
- House of Scientists (palace of Count Tolstoy) (missile strike on July 23, 2023).
- Odessa Art Museum (missile strike on July 23, 2023 – on November 5, 2023, it was hit again by a missile strike, which caused a lot of destruction)
- Odessa Archaeological Museum (missile strike on July 20, 2023).
- Odessa Maritime Museum (missile strike on July 20, 2023).
- Odessa Literary Museum (missile strike on July 20, 2023).
- Museum of Western and Oriental Art (missile strike on July 20, 2023).
- St. Nicholas Church (missile strike on July 18, 2023).
- Residential building of Chizhevych (mid-nineteenth century, architectural monument of local importance) (missile strike on July 23, 2023).
- Residential development of Solomos (early 20th century, architectural monument of local importance) (missile strike on July 23, 2023).
- Manuk Bey’s mansion, where a kindergarten for visually impaired children was located (missile strike on July 23, 2023).
- Tolstoy’s mansion, where the kindergarten is located (missile strike on July 20, 2023).
In the last twelve months, many foreign delegations have visited these damaged sites.
A non-exhaustive list of foreign visitors on the sites of the Russian shelling
On 21 August 2023, a delegation led by a professor from the University of Cambridge with photographers from different countries went to Odesa to record the destruction.
On 7 September 2023, the Ambassador of Italy to Ukraine, the Consul of Italy in Odesa, representatives of the Italian government, Italian specialists in the restoration of cultural heritage and the entire UNESCO apparatus present in Ukraine, headed by Chiara Bardeschi visited the places to be restored.
On 30 September 2023, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell visited the places hit by Russian missiles in Odesa.
On 6 October 2023, the new Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary Ambassador of Germany to Ukraine, Martin Jäger, went to Odesa and declared “I came to Odesa immediately after my appointment. We have a special interest in the preservation of cultural heritage, which is under the protection of UNESCO.”
On 13 October 2023, during a working trip to the Odesa region, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a meeting with Prime Minister of the Kingdom of the Netherlands Mark Rutte, who was on a visit to the country. Mark Rutte who will be appointed NATO Secretary General on 1 October 2024 then promised military assistance such as Patriot systems meant to protect Ukrainian cities against Russian missiles.
On 13 November 2023, a delegation of representatives of 11 African countries visited Odesa.
On 16 November 2023, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron went to Odesa with Ukrainian Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba and visited the cathedral as part of the review of evidence of Russian terrorism. The meeting was mainly devoted to assistance to Ukraine.
On 20 January 2024, UN High Commissioner for Refugees Filippo Grandi visited the Cathedral during a visit to Odesa region to discuss strengthening assistance to residents of the city and displaced persons affected by Russian aggression.
On 25 February 2024, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Germany, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine and Ambassador of Germany to Ukraine visited Odesa as part of a delegation of 40 people meeting to talk about cooperation and assistance to Ukraine.
On 6 March 2024, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy accompanied Prime Minister of Greece Kyriakos Mitsotakis in a visit to Odesa taking place within the framework of a cooperation meeting between the two countries. During their visit, there was an air alarm and Russian shelling.
On 25 March 2024, Chief Ombusman of Ukraine Dmytro Luninets and Chief Ombusman of Turkey Seref Malkoç visited the Cathedral during a meeting on cooperation with Turkey to protect the rights of Ukrainian prisoners of war and illegally detained civilians, as well as to find missing persons.
On 30 March 2024, the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Ruslan Stefanchuk and the Head of the National Assembly of France Yael Braun-Pivet visited the Cathedral during their meeting in Odesa on issues of military assistance to Ukraine. The chairman of the Verkhovna Rada asked for France’s assistance to protect the sky over Odesa so that other tragedies can be avoided.
On 8 April 2024, an American delegation consisting of six congressmen and Senator Joni Ernst visited the Cathedral during a visit to Odessa.
Many visits of European delegations but only pledges of two Western states
In the aftermath of these official visits, few Western states have spontaneously pledged to take part in the speedy restauration or reconstruction of the Cathedral.
Concerning the European Union, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Josep Borrell did not make any promise that the EU would contribute to the reconstruction of the destroyed parts of the Cathedral and other historical sites. He just said that the strike on the city was another Russian war crime and he tweeted: “Russia’s relentless missile terror against UNESCO-protected Odessa is yet another war crime by the Kremlin, which has also destroyed the main Orthodox cathedral, a World Heritage Site. Russia has already damaged hundreds of cultural sites in an attempt to destroy Ukraine.”
The contribution of 500,000 EUR promised by PM Giorgia Meloni in Italy for urgent repair of the Cathedral which has been channeled through UNESCO has still not been transferred by this international institution to Odesa…
Last year, the Consul General of Greece in Odessa, Dimitrios Dohtsis, announced that his country also intended to contribute to the restoration of architectural monuments that were damaged during the Russian missile attack, including the Cathedral, but as of today nothing has been made public about concrete initiatives and no financial assistance has reached Odesa.
