Ivanova Natalia, Pestretsova Olga

Legal Aspects of Cultural Heritage Preservation in the Conditions of War

Abstract: The article observes the problems of protecting the cultural heritage of Ukrainein armed conflict. Issues of violation of rules of international humanitarian law aimed at protecting cultural values, namely attempts to cause irreparable losses to the cultural identity of a certain society through the destruction of cultural values, are under special attention in the article.The article predicates importance of the illegal removal of cultural values from the occupied territories and the looting of cultural monuments. Attention is given to the problem of rescue and evacuation of cultural objects. The provisions of international documents regarding the protection of cultural objects, the issue of implementation of international legal norms into national legislation, were considered.The article deals with the problem of protecting cultural values in Crimea which was occupied by Russia, and certain parts of Donbas which are out of control of Ukraine since 2014. The facts of violation of international treaties and conventions that are related to the protection of cultural property caused by Russia aggressive full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, are considered. The relevance of the article is conditioned with unprecedented violations of universally recognized principles of international law, primarily the humanization of military operations in the modern world and, in particular, with a critical need to protect cultural heritage in armed conflict. The protection of cultural values is an integral part of the warfare rules. The significance of cultural values and cultural objects are determined not only by their economic weight, but primarily by the fact that they contain the history and national self-consciousness. It is emphasized on urgent issue of broad implementation of international humanitarian law norms and the international law of the protection of cultural values into the national, in particular criminal legislation of Ukraine. In addition, it is extremely important to improve the quality of national investigations of war crimes, to document war crimes, to create an evidence base that will a llow Ukraine to defend its interests effectively in international courts and to administer justice at the national level.

Keywords: armed conflict, cultural values, international humanitarian law, war, Ukraine.

  Full-text PDF    https://doi.org/10.15407/np.64.028     Citation

• Ivanova Natalia (V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, Ukraine, Kyiv, natalie20022002@ukr.net) ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5219-8720
• Pestretsova Olga (V. I. Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, Ukraine, Kyiv, pestretsova@ukr.net) ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0102-9134

Cite:
Ivanova Natalia (2022). Legal Aspects of Cultural Heritage Preservation in the Conditions of War. Academic Papers of The Vernadsky National Library of Ukraine, (64) 28-42. (In Ukrainan). doi: https://doi.org/10.15407/np.64.028

References:

1. UNESCO bolsters protection for Ukrainian heritage under fire. United nations. (2022). 9 march [in English].
2. Pro pryiednannia Ukrainy do Druhoho protokolu do Haazkoi konventsii pro zakhyst kulturnykh tsinnostei u razi zbroinoho konfliktu 1954 roku : Zakon Ukrainy vid 30 kvitnia 2020 roku N 585-IX [On the accession of Ukraine to the Second Protocol to the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict of 1954 No. 585-IX : Law of Ukraine dated April 30, 2020]. (2020). Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy. Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy: vebportal – Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Legislation of Ukraine: webportal [in Ukrainian].
3. Mapa kulturnykh vtrat (2022). Ukrainskyi kulturnyi fond [Map of cultural losses. Ukrainian Cultural Fund] [in Ukrainian].
4. Repetskyi, V. M. (2015). Zastosuvannia mizhnarodnoho humanitarnoho prava u zbroinomu konflikti Ukrainy [Application of international humanitarian law in the armed conflict of Ukraine]. Naukovyi visnyk Lvivskoi komertsiinoi akademii. Seriia: Yurydychna – Scientific Bulletin of the Lviv Commercial Academy. Series: Legal, 2, 368–373 [in Ukrainian].
5. Kulturni tsinnosti Krymu i Donbasu v umovakh viiny ta okupatsii [Cultural values of Crimea and Donbas under war and occupation]. Istoryko-kulturnyi ta naukovyi potentsial Pivdnia ta Skhodu Ukrainy v umovakh okupatsii ta voiennykh dii: zahrozy, vtraty, perspektyvy zberezhennia ta vidnovlennia: materialy kruhloho stolu (m. Kyiv, 12 lystopada 2015 r.) – Historical, Cultural and Scientific Potential of the South and East of Ukraine in the Conditions of Occupation and Military Actions: Threats, Losses, Prospects for Preservation and Restoration: Materials of the Round Table (Kyiv, November 12, 2015). Kyiv: Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy. 2016. 90 p. [in Ukrainian].
6. Kot, S. (2020). Povernennia i restytutsiia kulturnykh tsinnostei u politychnomu ta kulturnomu zhytti Ukrainy (20–21 st.) [The return and restitution of cultural values in the political and cultural life of Ukraine (20-early 21 centuries)]: Monografia. Kyiv : Instytut istorii Ukrainy NAN Ukrainy. 1020 p. [in Ukrainian].
7. Yarmaki, V. (2018). Systema pryntsypiv mizhnarodnoho humanitarnoho prava, shcho zastosovuietsia pid chas zbroinykh konfliktiv [The system of principles of international humanitarian law applied during armed conflicts]. Pivdennoukrainskyi pravnychyi chasopys, 4 (1), 95–98 [in Ukrainian].
8. Druhyi Protokol do Haazkoi konventsii pro zakhyst kulturnykh tsinnostei u razi zbroinoho konfliktu 1954 roku [Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict]. (m. Haaha, 26 bereznia 1999 roku). Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy. Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy: vebportal – Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Legislation of Ukraine: webportal [in Ukrainian].
9. Soroka, A., Atanesian, H. (2022). Kulturni chystky. Yak Rosiia ruinuie muzei y vyvozyt mystetstvo z Ukrainy [Cultural cleansing. How Russia destroys museums and takes art out of Ukraine]. BBC news Ukraina. 19.05 [in Ukrainian].
10. Kyiv School of Economics. Za ostannimy obrakhunkamy zahalna suma priamykh zbytkiv infrastruktury stanovyt $103.9 mlrd. (2022). [According to the latest estimates, the total amount of direct damage to infrastructure is $103.9 billion]. 9.06 [in Ukrainian].
11. Pro zatverdzhennia Poriadku provedennia evakuatsii u razi zahrozy vynyknennia abo vynyknennia nadzvychainykh sytuatsii: Postanova Kabinetu Ministriv Ukrainy N 841 vid 30 zhovtnia 2013 r. [On the approval of the Procedure for evacuation in case of a threat of emergence or occurence of emergency situations: Resolution of the Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine dated October 30, 2013 No. 841]. Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy. Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy: vebportal – Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Legislation of Ukraine: webportal [in Ukrainian].
12. Rymskyi statut mizhnarodnoho kryminalnoho sudu [The Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court]. (Dokument 995_588, chynnyi, potochna redaktsiia – Redaktsiia vid 16.01.2002). Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy. Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy: vebportal – Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Legislation of Ukraine: webportal [in Ukrainian].
13. Pro vnesennia zmin do Kryminalnoho protsesualnoho kodeksu Ukrainy ta inshykh zakonodavchykh aktiv Ukrainy shchodo spivrobitnytstva z Mizhnarodnym kryminalnym sudom N 2236-IX [On amendments to the Criminal Procedure Code of Ukraine and other legislative acts of Ukraine regarding cooperation with the International Criminal Court No. 2236-IX: Law of Ukraine dated May 3, 2022]. Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy. Zakonodavstvo Ukrainy: vebportal – Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine. Legislation of Ukraine: webportal [in Ukrainian].
14. Mykytenko, H. (2021). Ukraina ta Mizhnarodnyi kryminalnyi sud: sim rokiv vzaiemodii [Ukraine and the International Criminal Court: seven years of cooperation]. Kyiv. 12 p. [in Ukrainian].
15. Mazur, T. (2019). Implementatsiia mizhnarodno-pravovykh norm shchodo zakhystu kulturnykh tsinnostei u vypadku zbroinykh konfliktiv u zakonodavstvo Ukrainy [Implementation of international legal norms regarding the protection of cultural values in the event of armed conflicts into the legislation of Ukraine]. Aktualni problemy istoryko-pravovoi ta mizhnarodno-pravovoi nauky. Pivdennoukrainskyi pravovyi chasopys, 4 (3). Odesa [in Ukrainian]. doi: https://doi.org/10.32850/sulj.2019.4.3.34
16. Akulenko, V. I. (2010). Konventsiia pro zakhyst kulturnykh tsinnostei u vypadku zbroinoho konfliktu 1954 r.: aktualni pytannia implementatsii i zastosuvannia [The 1954 Convention on the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict: Current Issues of Implementation and Application]. Naukovyi chasopys NPU imeni M. P. Drahomanova. Seriia 18: Ekonomika i pravo – Scientific Journal of M. P. Dragomanov National Pedagogical University. Series 18: Economy and law, 9, 126–138 [in Ukrainian].
17. Myshchak, I. (2022). Legal provision of cultural heritage protection under the conditions of russian military aggression against Ukraine. Scientific Papers of the Legislation Institute of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, 2, 76–87 [in English]. doi: https://doi.org/10.32886/instzak.2022.02.08
18. Koval, D. O. (2014). Mekhanizmy kontroliu za vykonanniam Haazkoi konventsii pro zakhyst kulturnykh tsinnostei u vypadku zbroinoho konfliktu [Mechanisms of control over the implementation of the Hague Convention on the Protection of Cultural Values in the event of an armed conflict]. Derzhava i pravo. Yurydychni i politychni nauky – State and law. Legal and political sciences, 63, 264–269 [in Ukrainian].