The World Monuments Fund expressed its concern after learning the news that Holy Savior Cathedral (Ghazanchetsots Cathedral) in the town of Shushi in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh) has suffered damage as a result of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Built in the 19th century, the cathedral was restored in the 1990s and became a symbol of the region’s rebirth after the war.

“World Monuments Fund considers absolutely unacceptable any willful destruction of cultural heritage. Through our work around the world, we have seen how the destruction of cultural heritage irrevocably harms both local and global communities, forever marring our ties to the past and wounding the identity of countless groups. Therefore, we ask all parties for restraint and to abstain from targeting any and all cultural heritage sites”, the Fund said in a statement.

On October 8 Azerbaijan carried out two strikes on the Ghazanchetsots Cathedral, causing damage to the complex. 3 Russian journalists have been wounded from the Azerbaijani attack. One of the reporters in in serious condition.