Russia damaged 1949 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine

As of the end of June 2026, 1949 cultural heritage sites and 2576 cultural infrastructure sites had been destroyed or damaged in Ukraine due to Russian aggression.

Among the damaged cultural heritage sites, 183 have the status of national importance, 1570 are local, and 196 have just been discovered. 46 cultural heritage sites were completely destroyed. In total, damage was recorded in 18 regions. The most damaged monuments were in Kharkiv region — 356, Kherson region — 305, Odesa region — 208, Donetsk region — 225, Kyiv region and Kyiv city — 295.

In June, as a result of another Russian attack on Kyiv, a UNESCO World Heritage Site and one of the most prominent spiritual and cultural monuments of Ukraine — the Assumption Cathedral of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” — was damaged. Also damaged on the territory of the Lavra were the Treasury of the National Museum of History of Ukraine, the Museum of Book and Printing of Ukraine, the National Historical Library of Ukraine, the National Academy of Leading Personnel of Culture and Arts, and the storage facility of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine. In addition, in the capital, the Russians attacked the National Film Studio named after Oleksandr Dovzhenko, the state enterprise “Ukrkinochronika”, the National Cultural, Art and Museum Complex “Mystetskyi Arsenal”, the National Palace of Arts “Ukraine” and the Kyiv National University of Theater, Cinema and Television named after Ivan Karpenko-Kary were damaged.

The Kharkiv Art Museum was damaged by a drone strike, and in the Dnipropetrovsk the Dnipropetrovsk House of Organ and Chamber Music was damaged.

At the same time, 2,576 cultural infrastructure facilities were damaged as a result of shelling and hostilities, of which 540 were completely destroyed.

The greatest losses to cultural infrastructure were suffered in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Kyiv and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Destruction was recorded in 347 territorial communities throughout Ukraine. The largest number is in the communities of Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Zaporizhzhia, Mykolaiv, Dnipropetrovsk, Kyiv, and Luhansk regions.

Almost the entire territory of Luhansk and significant parts of the territories of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions are under temporary occupation. This makes it impossible to accurately calculate the number of cultural institutions that have suffered as a result of hostilities and occupation.

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and foreign partners continue to work together to overcome the consequences of destruction and restore Ukraine’s cultural potential.