Verkhovna Rada approves €32 million grant for museums and monuments in Odesa

The Verkhovna Rada has supported the ratification of the Grant Agreement between Ukraine and Italy, which allows the launch of the program "Restoration and Preservation of the Cultural Heritage of the Odesa Region". The bill was voted for by 234 MPs.

The decision was announced by MP Yaroslav Zheleznyak.

The agreement was signed on July 10 in Rome during the Conference on the Reconstruction of Ukraine. According to the agreement, the Italian Republic will provide Ukraine with 32.5 million euros of non-repayable financial assistance.

The program provides for the restoration and preservation of monuments located in the historic center of Odesa, which has the status of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Among the sites scheduled for restoration are the Odesa National Art Museum, the Museum of Western and Eastern Art, the Regional Philharmonic, the Literary Museum, the Zontag House and the Wedding Palace.

The program is expected to help preserve Odesa' s cultural heritage and restore historic buildings that have been damaged or threatened by the full-scale war.

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine approved a draft law on the ratification of the Grant Agreement between the governments of Ukraine and the Italian Republic in October 2025.

The first agreement provides for a grant of €27.5 million for the restoration of Odesa's architectural monuments. The funds will be used to restore the Odesa Philharmonic, Potocki Palace, Museum of Western and Eastern Art, and the Literary Museum, and the project also includes the creation of modern public spaces for tourism development.

The second loan agreement provides for EUR 30 million on favorable terms: for 20 years, of which the first 10 years are without repayment, at 0% per annum. These funds will be used to build a new building of the Odesa Regional Children's Hospital.

On July 19-23, 2023, the historic center of Odesa suffered the largest-scale attack by Russian troops since the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. As a result of the shelling, cultural heritage sites under UNESCO protection were severely damaged. Odesa city authorities reported 28 buildings destroyed within the protected zone, including the Transfiguration Cathedral.

Анна Бальчінос