Ukraine accuses Russia of destroying a 16th-century monastery

Zelenski assures that Russia "has no place" in UNESCO

MADRID, 4 Jun. (EUROPA PRESS) -

The President of Ukraine, Volodimir Zelensky, has denounced the attack by Russian forces with artillery shells on the Sviatogorsk Monastery, a wooden building that was initially built in the 16th century, in the Donetsk region. Four people have died and four more have been seriously injured, although Russia claims that "Ukrainian nationalists" were responsible for the attack.

"The occupiers know exactly what target they are bombing. They know that there were no military targets in the Sviatogorsk Monastery. They know that there were about 300 people who have fled the hostilities, including 60 children," Zelensky said in a message published on his Telegram channel.

Zelenski has reproached Moscow for the destruction of churches and monuments and has therefore stressed that Russia "has no place" in the United Nations Organization for Science and Culture (UNESCO).

The Ukrainian president has recalled that Russia has destroyed more than 370 monuments, half of them churches. "No country has destroyed so many monuments and cultural and social sites in Europe since World War II. Every church burned by the Russians in Ukraine, every school blown up, every monument destroyed shows that Russia has no place in UNESCO. What about a barbaric state, a terrorist state?", he indicated.

"We expect a logical and fair response from the UN and UNESCO. The UN Charter does not allow alliances with terrorists. Russia's isolation must be total. It must pay for its crimes," said the Ukrainian president.

Zelensky recalled that the Ukrainian Parliament asked UNESCO on May 31 to expel Russia from the organization and Ukrainian diplomacy continues to work in this direction.

For its part, the Russian Defense Ministry has assured that it was the "Ukrainian nationalists" who set fire to the monastery during their retreat from the city of Sviatogorsk.

Specifically, it ensures that the Ukrainians launched incendiary ammunition with a large-caliber machine gun mounted on a Kozak armored SUV. In addition, he has highlighted that the Russian units present north of Sviatogorsk are not carrying out combat operations and are not shelling the monuments in the area.

The monastery was rebuilt after the damage suffered during the Soviet times. The first written mention of the monument dates back to 1526.