- Announcement made as Culture Minister Ian Murray attends a meeting of EU Media/Culture Ministers in Copenhagen
- The visit demonstrates the UK’s commitment to collaborate with European counterparts to safeguard our cultural heritage
The UK government has announced a further £200,000 in emergency funding to help protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage during and after Russia’s illegal war, from ancient manuscripts to historic buildings.
Culture Minister Ian Murray announced the funding whilst representing the UK at an informal meeting of media and culture ministers in Copenhagen as part of Denmark’s Presidency of the Council of the EU.
Under the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, this grant will support Ukraine’s newly established Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund through the UK’s International Cultural Heritage Protection (ICHP) programme, which works to protect and restore international heritage.
This funding is in addition to £1.45 million already committed for Ukrainian heritage protection between 2025 and 2029.
During the visit, Minister Murray also signalled the Department for Culture, Media and Sport’s intent to join the Culture Resilience Alliance, an international initiative that promotes culture as a key force for resilience, recovery, and peace in times of conflict and rebuilding.
The UK will now work alongside international partners to share expertise and coordinate action to preserve Ukrainian culture, both during Russia’s full scale invasion and in the years ahead as the country rebuilds.
Through the UK-Ukraine 100 Year Partnership, the government will also continue to work together with Ukraine to protect Ukrainian cultural heritage, prevent the illicit trafficking and looting of its cultural values, and counteract cultural erasure
Ukraine’s cultural landmarks tell the story of its people and national identity. By joining this alliance and providing emergency funding, the UK is reinforcing its long-standing support for Ukraine and protecting the heritage that defines who Ukrainians are, in the face of Russia’s attempts to destroy Ukrainian culture.
Media and Culture Minister Ian Murray said:
Ukraine’s cultural heritage is not just important to its people, but to the world. That’s why this government is proud to stand shoulder to shoulder with Ukraine and our international partners to protect the history and irreplaceable cultural artefacts of the Ukrainian people.
This £200,000 emergency funding will provide immediate support to safeguard Ukraine’s cultural identity, whilst joining the Culture Resilience Alliance ensures we’re part of a coordinated, long-term effort to preserve Ukrainian heritage for future generations.
Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Minister of Culture of Ukraine, Tetyana Berezhna said:
Russia is deliberately targeting Ukrainian culture: 1,612 heritage sites have been damaged, with 27 completely destroyed. This is a challenge we can only address through collective effort. I am grateful to the Government of the United Kingdom for its support to the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund and for the continued solidarity of the British people with Ukraine during these difficult times. This is not only an investment in Ukraine’s future, but in our shared cultural legacy. We value this partnership greatly.
During the informal meeting in Copenhagen, Minister Murray participated in discussions focused on protecting cultural heritage and addressing the challenges faced by the media sector across Europe, recognising media as an important part of tackling disinformation.
He joined other European nations in signing a declaration on the necessity of culture, art and media as a safeguard for European democracies, building on a reset of relationships with the EU in order to further strengthen UK-EU strategic alliance.
Notes to editors:
The Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund will manage international financial support to carry out programmes that protect, restore, and rehabilitate Ukraine’s tangible and intangible heritage.
The Fund’s responsibilities include mobilising donor contributions, launching calls for projects for preservation activities, promoting digitisation, and training professionals.
Since Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine, DCMS’s ICHP Programme has funded a number of initiatives. These include:
- War Crime investigations by the Commission for International Justice and Accountability into the destruction of cultural heritage through Russian bombardment.
- Development of a Ukraine Heritage Crime Task Force coordinated by the OSCE to disrupt the illicit trafficking of Ukrainian cultural property.
- Capacity building programmes for the Office of the Prosecutor General (OPG), coordinated by Blue Shield International, to provide prosecutorial support for investigations into crimes committed by Russian forces against Ukrainian cultural heritage.
- Contribution to UNESCO’s Special Fund for Ukraine, to support the preservation of heritage at risk from the conflict, as well as museum collections.
