Preserving Ukraine’s Cultural Freedom: Strengthening International Support
September 15, 2026
Antiquities Coalition Joins 2026 Ukraine Action Summit to Advance Coordinated Response
Ukrainian cultural heritage remains a deliberate target of efforts to undermine the country’s identity and sovereignty. The destruction, looting, and exploitation of cultural heritage are not only attacks on buildings and objects—they are attacks on Ukraine’s people and their right culture.
Keeping culture at the forefront of international support for Ukraine remains essential.
On September 12, Antiquities Coalition Policy Advisor Steve Epstein joined the panel “Preserving Cultural Freedom in Ukraine” at the Fall 2026 Ukraine Action Summit, a day-long gathering focused on civic advocacy and strengthening the nationwide community supporting Ukraine.
The panel brought together heritage professionals, including from НеМо: Ukrainian Heritage Monitoring Lab and the Penn Cultural Heritage Center, to reflect on the tremendous efforts of Ukrainian cultural institutions and their international partners, while identifying ways to sustain and strengthen support for the country’s cultural sector.
The Antiquities Coalition was proud to participate in the summit and to witness the breadth of U.S. support for Ukraine. Sustaining that support requires recognizing that cultural heritage is an integral part of Ukraine’s national identity, sovereignty, and future.
Strengthening International Cooperation
Preserving Ukraine’s cultural freedom is an ongoing effort that requires cooperation across the cultural heritage, law enforcement, legal, intelligence, and national security communities.
Dr. Epstein shared with the delegates to the Action Summit the results of a NATO sponsored initiative convened by the Antiquities Coalition and Ukraine’s Raphael Lemkin Society to examine how cultural heritage exploitation supports Russia’s military and political objectives. Made possible by NATO’s Science for Peace and Security Programme, the initiative began with a 2025 workshop in Bassano del Grappa, Italy, bringing 35 international experts from 11 NATO and partner countries together with Ukrainian colleagues Together, experts examined cultural looting and destruction, disinformation, and the misuse of the art market to evade sanctions—establishing how attacks on cultural heritage intersect with broader security threats facing the Alliance.
In the coming months, the initiative’s findings will be published in a forthcoming NATO SPS volume, A NATO Agenda for Cultural Security: Countering Russia’s Exploitation of Cultural Heritage in Ukraine and Beyond.
Want to learn more? Read the press release about the 2025 NATO SPS workshop.