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UNESCO puts Kiev's cultural sites on list of heritage in danger of destruction

According to the agency AFP, the list included the Church of Hagia Sophia and monastery buildings in the capital of Ukraine, as well as the historical center of Lviv

PARIS, September 15. /TASS/. UNESCO has included cultural sites in Kiev and Lvov in the list of heritage sites threatened with destruction, Agence France Presse reported.

According to AFP, the decision to include in this list "the Saint Sophia Cathedral and monastery buildings in Kiev, as well as the historic center of Lvov" was made following the meeting of the specialized committee of UNESCO in Riyadh.

Previously, UNESCO put 20 Ukrainian sites on the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection.

In an interview with TASS, Russia's permanent Spokesman to UNESCO, Ambassador Rinat Alyautdinov, emphasized that Russia strongly rejects any accusations of violating international norms on the protection of cultural property. He also noted that Ukraine has been violating these norms by "using the territory of cultural sites and their immediate surroundings for military purposes.".

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