Activists have collected cases on 16 religious objects in Donetsk and Kharkiv regions.
Information about eight of them is already available on the “Temples under Fire” platform, UP Life reports.
The site offers photos and videos of the destruction and damage to shrines of various denominations.
The authors of the project seek to document Russia’s destruction of Ukrainian shrines, draw international attention to the damage caused to the spiritual and cultural-historical heritage of Ukraine, and also promote the restoration of churches in the future.
“We tried to choose religious buildings of various denominations: OCU, UOC, Baptists, Protestants, Muslims, etc. We focused on populated areas where the fiercest battles unfolded,” say the initiators of the project.
“All religions and denominations represented in Ukraine suffer losses without exception. For example, a mosque was completely destroyed in Bakhmut, a Krishna temple in Kramatorsk, a prayer house of Evangelical Christian Baptists in Druzhkivka, a wooden church of the OCU in Ruski Tyshki, etc.
But the largest number of destroyed and damaged churches belong to the religious communities of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate – more than 80 and more than 200, respectively,” the authors of the project say.
As of early 2023, at least 494 religious buildings, spiritual educational institutions, and shrines were destroyed, damaged, or looted by Russian invaders in Ukraine, the Institute of Religious Freedom reported.
The largest number of facilities were destroyed in Donetsk region (over 120) and Luhansk region (over 70). Large-scale destruction was recorded in Kharkiv, Kherson, and Kyiv regions.
Currently, the website offers detailed information about eight destroyed religious buildings.
The project will be expanded and replenished with processed materials from other regions of Ukraine that are suffering from the ongoing war.
Earlier, a digital platform “Map of Destruction” was launched in Ukraine to capture the consequences of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
