UNESCO's World Heritage Committee, meeting at its 48th session in Busan, South Korea, placed the Chersonesus Taurica preserve on the list of World Heritage sites in danger, Ukraine's Culture Ministry and Foreign Ministry announced.
According to UNESCO, new construction and associated large-scale archaeological excavations have led to a "significant loss of authenticity and integrity" of the monument. The work was carried out without permission from competent Ukrainian authorities, and the organization deemed the threat established.
UNESCO monitoring using satellite imagery showed that large new structures had appeared on the site and its buffer zones, and that archaeological work had continued since 2014. In 2024, Russian authorities opened the "New Chersonesus" museum and temple complex next to the ruins, built by Russia's Defense Ministry. The project covered more than 23 hectares and included museums, an amphitheater and youth centers. The BBC's Ukrainian service reported that the complex was built on the territory of ancient Greek temples and the city's necropolis, which contained unique burial and memorial structures. According to archaeologists, bulldozers worked on a plot with a cultural layer up to 10 meters deep that could have held tens of thousands of artifacts.
UNESCO called on all parties involved in preserving the site to refrain from actions that could cause further irreversible damage. The decision also urges the international community to strengthen cooperation to prevent the illegal trafficking of cultural property from annexed Crimea, Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said.
"Ukraine will continue to use all available international mechanisms to protect cultural heritage in temporarily occupied territories," said Ivan Verbytskyi, first deputy culture minister of Ukraine, who heads the Ukrainian delegation in Busan.
Lazare Eloundou Assomo, director of UNESCO's World Heritage Centre, noted that inclusion on the "in danger" list is not a punishment but a tool to attract funding and attention for site preservation.
Chersonesus Taurica is the only site in Crimea inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage list, added in 2013. After Russia's annexation of Crimea in 2014, the organization lost access to the site and assessed changes via satellite.
Ukrainian authorities emphasize that excavations and construction on the preserve's territory are causing irreparable damage. During discussions of the status change, Ukraine's position was supported by representatives of Poland, the Czech Republic and Switzerland.