Using high-tech laser gear, UN-backed team scans Ukraine historical sites to preserve them amid war

By JON GAMBRELL
Associated Press

KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Two United Nations-backed engineers are using a high-tech laser to create incredibly high-resolution, three-dimensional renderings of historic sites in Ukraine. Their volunteer work is part of a wider project to protect and preserve historic sites across the country, which are in as much danger as its people amid Russia’s war. Since Russia invaded in February 2022, at least 259 cultural and historic sites have been damaged by the fighting, according to UNESCO, the U.N.’s cultural agency. Emmanuel Durand, a French engineer based in Geneva, and Serhii Revenko, a Ukrainian architect, are making the 3D images with the special device.