Russia has damaged 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure objects in Ukraine

Key points

  • As a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine, 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure objects have been destroyed or damaged.
  • Among the affected monuments, 161 have national significance, 1,460 have local significance, and 162 have been recently discovered.
  • The most significant destruction occurred in Kharkiv, Donetsk, Kherson, Odesa regions, as well as in Kyiv and the surrounding area.
  • Among the cultural infrastructure objects, 518 have been completely destroyed.
  • Destruction has been recorded in 341 territorial communities in 18 regions – the leaders in the number of affected communities are Donetsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, and Chernihiv regions.

As a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine, as of the beginning of May 2026, 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure objects have been damaged, according to the Ministry of Culture.

Among the damaged monuments, 161 objects have national significance, 1,460 have local significance, and 162 have been recently discovered. A total of 46 monuments have been completely destroyed.

The most significant destruction has been recorded in Kharkiv region – 353 monuments, Kherson region – 303, Donetsk region – 225, Odesa region – 202, as well as in Kyiv and Kyiv region – 173. Damage has been recorded in 18 regions.

Out of the 2,540 affected cultural infrastructure objects, 518 have been completely destroyed. These include:

  • 1,252 club facilities;
  • 879 libraries;
  • 191 institutions of artistic education;
  • 141 museums and galleries;
  • 52 theaters, cinemas, and philharmonic halls;
  • 11 parks and zoos;
  • 9 nature reserves;
  • 4 circuses;
  • a film studio in Kyiv.

Destruction has been recorded in 341 territorial communities. The most affected communities are in Donetsk region – 46, Sumy region – 39, Kharkiv region and Chernihiv region – 34 each, Zaporizhzhia region – 31, Mykolaiv region and Dnipropetrovsk region – 23 each, Kyiv region – 21, and Luhansk region – 12.

Almost the entire territory of Luhansk region and significant parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions are under temporary occupation, making it impossible to accurately count the number of affected cultural institutions.

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Юлія Мирська
Юлія Мирська
Author | She graduated with a degree in television and radio journalism. She has about a year of experience working in the media. She worked as a news editor for the online publication Speka.media.

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