Italy will allocate 45 million euros to reconstruct downtown Odesa damaged by Russia

Rome: Italy’s plan to reconstruct the historic district of Odesa will take three years and cost around 45 million Euros, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture announced on February 13.

Acting Culture Minister Rostyslav Karandieiev met with a special envoy of Italy’s Foreign Ministry to discuss the plan.

“We are grateful for your initiatives to restore Ukrainian monuments. You demonstrate that the government and people of Italy are true friends of Ukraine,” Karandieiev said.

Italy will help restore the Transfiguration Cathedral, significantly damaged by a Russian missile attack on the night of July 22-23. The funds would also be allocated to creating a digital map of Odesa’s historic center, which was added to the UNESCO World Heritage List in Danger, and the development of a master plan for the city.

Karandieiev also suggested expanding the Italian-Ukrainian partnership through a patronage system between cultural institutions.

Russia has already damaged or destroyed over 120 nationally significant monuments since the start of its full-scale invasion of Ukraine. According to UNESCO, Russia’s war has damaged at least 337 cultural sites in Ukraine between the start of the invasion and Jan. 10.