The Italian government will grant Ukraine €32.5 million as non-repayable aid for the restoration of cultural heritage in the Odesa region. The agreement was signed on July 10 in Rome during the International Conference on Ukraine Recovery (URC2025).
This information was confirmed by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications.
According to the agreements, the funding will be allocated for the restoration of six architectural monuments in Odesa that suffered due to Russian aggression. These include:
Odesa National Art Museum;
- Odesa Museum of Western and Eastern Art;
- Odesa Regional Philharmonic named after David Oistrakh;
- Odesa Literary Museum;
- Zontag House;
- Wedding Palace.
The agreement will include comprehensive restoration, enhancing security and energy efficiency of the buildings, modernizing engineering systems, and ensuring accessibility for people with disabilities.
In addition to restoring monuments, the establishment of the Odesa UNESCO Heritage Management Center is planned, which will coordinate the preservation of objects listed as World Heritage.
The grant will be implemented by the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS) in collaboration with the Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MAECI) and Ukrainian ministries, the Odesa Regional Military Administration, and the city council.
Furthermore, the OVA noted that Italy will allocate €6 million for the reconstruction of two irrigation systems in the Odesa region. The implementation of this project will reduce water loss and increase the yield of grain and vegetable crops by up to 50%.
