The only way to save something as vast in scale as a country’s complete architectural and sculptural heritage is by putting the power in the hands of the people.

Backup Ukraine uses cutting-edge mobile technology to allow every citizen of Ukraine to do something that was once reserved for big-budget movie studios and game developers: Creating high-definition 3D models to back up their cultural heritage. All possible using just their phones and an application served freely to the Ukrainian public.


At the core of Russia’s war propaganda is the claim that Ukraine doesn’t have a unique and sovereign national identity. At the same time, there are countless reports of cultural sites destroyed.

This destructive tool has been a core part of Russian imperialism for hundreds of years, harking back to the De-Cossackization of Soviet that wiped an entire culture off the map. And since then, erasing local cultures and installing Russian populations in annexed territories has led to the loss of dozens of local cultures.

We must prevent this from happening in Ukraine.

But luckily, their population is one of the most digitized and technologically adept in all of Europe.

With 191 cultural sites destroyed in the first month of the war, we had no time to spare. 

Knowing that local authorities were stretched to the limit, the only way we could scale fast enough was by allowing anyone to help back up Ukraine.

To do this, we needed to put revolutionary technology into their hands at an unprecedented pace.

According to BLUE SHIELD (the “red cross for culture”), destroying a country’s cultural heritage is the fastest way to erase its national identity.



w

This insight framed the destruction of Ukrainian monuments and statues, and the Russian denial of Ukrainian nationhood, not as a question of helping museums.


It was really about a People and their right to exist.

This meant that the preservation of the culture had to become a mainstream people's movement, led and driven by citizens.

Destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage is nearly inevitable — no matter how many sandbags and protective covers we wrap them in. So how do we make sure that they aren’t lost forever?

By making a digital backup in the cloud — where no bombs can reach.

For the first time in history, UNESCO gave every citizen the power to create high-definition 3D models — and all they needed was their phones.

Using smartphone camera and GPS data to let everyone in Ukraine capture any place or monument in a matter of MINUTES.

We saved the data as blueprints at museum-level standards in an online archive so if they’re ever destroyed, Ukraine's cultural treasures can be rebuilt down to the last detail.

With +75.000 downloads and +35.000 captures in Ukraine,

Ukrainian citizens have backed up considerably more sculptures than even the world's biggest museums and art collections.

With a very warm reception in the local architectural, museum, and art communities, Backup Ukraine served to rally and give hope to Ukrainian Volunteers.

Internationally, the idea was held up as an example of creativity’s triumph over pure destruction, and representatives from the movement were invited to showcase the story at global roundtables and presentations across the range of architectural conferences, political top meetings — even cyberwar symposiums.

6 NGOs pledged their support. 7 international firms donated equipment, funding, and assistance to volunteers on the ground — even 3D printing replicas of threatened statues to prepare for the worst.

And Unesco’s National Commissioner even went on public broadcast urging neighboring countries to start scanning their heritage — before it’s too late.