Heritage and the global crisis: The impact of geopolitics on cultural historiography and monument protection

In the midst of the Russian military invasion of Ukraine, launched at the end of February 2022, in which, in addition to countless deaths of civilians and soldiers, a large number of cultural monuments have been devastated, the concerned world is helplessly watching, while the destruction continues with undiminished ferocity despite the evident traumatic consequences. Although the geopolitical implications of the Ukrainian war will continue to play out for many years to come, within the cultural sector they can already be compared to those of the wars fought in the 1990s on the territory of the former SFRY, when the architectural heritage of 'undesirable' communities was brutally devastated. The position of the Republic of Serbia is multifaceted on this front, a fact that has been radically reflected in modern geopolitical changes, primarily regarding territorial integrity, historical consciousness and the situation of cultural heritage in the region.