We Must Be Ready Every Day To Present Russia With The Full Bill For Reparations — Berezhna

Ukraine must be prepared daily to present Russia with the complete reparations bill, according to Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture, Tetiana Berezhna. Berezhna addressed this during a discussion with Ukrinform correspondent about the necessity for Russia to compensate Ukraine for damaged and looted cultural assets.

The Ukrainian government is collaborating with the World Bank to ascertain the cultural losses inflicted due to the Russian invasion. These losses amount to $4 billion directly, encompassing destruction, forfeited lives, and halted projects. Indirect losses, however, are estimated at $24 billion, including all the potential earnings Ukraine, its cultural heritage, and tourist sites could have garnered if Russia hadn't initiated this devastating war, Berezhna highlighted.

The Deputy Prime Minister further disclosed that the Ministry of Culture is consistently informed by regions regarding the number of cultural sites and institutions devastated by Russia. Currently, nearly 2,000 cultural heritage sites are reported as destroyed; 2,400 cultural institutions have sustained damage or been destroyed, with 500 utterly obliterated.