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.

BACKGROUND

According to BLUE SHIELD (the “red cross for culture”), destroying a country’s cultural heritage is the fastest way to erase its national identity. And no matter how many sandbags and protective covers we wrap them in, Ukraine’s cultural heritage is at high risk of destruction.

IDEA

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.

We saved the data as blueprints in a cloud-based 3D archive to be preserved forever. So if they’re ever destroyed, Ukraine's cultural treasures can be rebuilt down to the last detail.

EXECUTION

We partnered with 3D startup POLYCAM to customize their photogrammetry technology for Backup Ukraine.

It uses machine learning to convert phones' built-in camera, LiDAR and location data to high-definition 3D digital blueprints in a secure, cloud-based archive.

A free app (iOS/Android) was released to all Ukrainians, allowing regular people with little training to capture 3D models of a quality that used to be reserved for film studios and gave development professionals with expensive equipment. With 800+ articles, we spread the word to every citizen in Ukraine, turning everyone into a guardian of their national heritage.

We worked closely with archivist experts to ensure that data was saved at museum-level standards and let trusted partners export to 10+ 3D formats. We even built new privacy measures to help museums mask the precise location of their collections, shielding them from looting invaders and targeted airstrikes.