A new $1 million grant from the J. Paul Getty Trust is being advanced to the International alliance for the protection of heritage in conflict areas (ALIPH) to ensure the protection of vulnerable cultural sites across Ukraine that have come under fire since the Russian Federation’s illegal invasion began in February.

The new round of funding helps support the existing Ukrainian Action Plan, which has so far allocated some $3 million towards similar projects in the country under threat from the war and impending winter chill. 

UNESCO has thus far identified some 204 cultural sites (up from June’s figure of 139) that have suffered some amount of damage due to conflict. The monies will therefore be spent towards implementing climate-controlled storage methods and improving security measures at museums and other cultural institutions, deployment of “preventive conservation methods”, and preparation of stabilization methods for sites that could come under fire in the future.

“The ongoing need to protect cultural heritage in Ukraine has become even more urgent in recent weeks, as attacks in the region are increasing and the onset of winter is creating additional risks,” Valéry Freland, executive director of ALIPH, said in a press release. “This new funding will help cultural heritage professionals face the many challenges ahead.”

The Getty Trust’s CEO Katherine Fleming said, “ALIPH’s approach to cultural heritage protection is proven and effective,” and that the group has been responsible for saving some 160 different collections and supporting media such as 3D scans that will allow for the important final victory of Ukraine's cultural heritage whenever the war meets its inevitable and welcomed end.