Cultural treasures are being destroyed worldwide – so why is no-one being punished?

One international group that’s played a big role is the Aliph Foundation, which was set up in Geneva in 2017 to protect and repair cultural heritage.

Alexandra Fiebig, a project manager with Aliph, says that her group provided millions of dollars in funds to Ukrainian museums scrambling to move their most valuable items to safety.

This has involved the use of what she describes as ‘heritage ambulances’: “These vehicles that have specialised equipment and space with specialised teams and equipment, they were in the beginning travelling a lot to affected museums that were damaged through military action.”

Now, she says the teams also check on the artefacts that were transported in great haste to safer places to make sure they remain in good condition.

Blue Shield International is a group that operates in multiple war zones, working with armed forces and local heritage officials to such an extent that it’s come to be known as the Red Cross for culture.

Dr Emma Cunliffe, the head of operations for the group, says Ukrainians are risking their lives to protect their heritage.

“They are taking great measures to document the damage even when they are risking their own lives to do it. In fact one of the things we really see is that the government is taking huge steps despite the many many competing priorities and the struggles they are facing.”

Other conflicts have seen civilians take similar measures to protect their culture.

In February 2015, Isis turned its attention from hacking down ancient statues and artefacts in Mosul in northern Iraq to ransacking its written heritage as its fighters laid waste to the city’s much treasured public libraries. They burned the Central Library and destroyed or stole many thousands of books – many of them rare manuscripts that told the story of the city.