Key points
- Russia has damaged or destroyed 1,990 cultural heritage sites and 2,625 cultural infrastructure sites in Ukraine – figures as at the end of July 2026.
- Over the course of the month, the list of losses grew by 90 sites – with 41 more monuments and 49 more infrastructure sites added.
- Forty-seven monuments have been completely destroyed, whilst a further 1,943 have been damaged.
- The greatest number of damaged monuments are in the Kharkiv and Kherson regions, as well as in Kyiv, the Donetsk region and the Odesa region.
- Cultural venues in 354 communities have been damaged – that is 24 per cent of their total number.
As of the end of July 2026, the Russians had damaged or destroyed 1,990 cultural heritage sites and 2,625 cultural infrastructure sites in Ukraine. This was reported by the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture.
Over the course of the month, the number of affected cultural infrastructure sites increased by 49, and the number of cultural heritage sites by 41. In total, the list of losses to Ukrainian culture has grown by 90 sites.
Among the damaged heritage sites are 192 of national significance, 1,605 of local significance and 193 newly identified sites. Forty-seven heritage sites have been completely destroyed, whilst a further 1,943 have been damaged.
The highest number of damaged heritage sites has been recorded in:
- Kharkiv region – 358;
- Kherson region – 303;
- Kyiv – 272;
- Donetsk region – 229;
- Odesa region – 211.
In July, a strike damaged a site within the historic centre of Odesa, which is inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. Kyiv, the Sumy, Kharkiv and Zaporizhzhia regions also came under renewed attack, with Russia striking heritage sites there that had already been damaged.
The largest group of damaged infrastructure facilities consists of clubs and similar venues – 1,300 facilities, of which 283 have been destroyed. The following have also been damaged:
- 906 libraries;
- 196 arts education institutions;
- 141 museums and galleries;
- 56 theatres, cinemas and concert halls;
- 13 parks and zoos;
- 9 nature reserves;
- 3 circuses;
- a film studio in Kyiv.
Cultural institutions in 354 local communities have been damaged – this represents 24 per cent of the total number of communities in Ukraine.
The Ministry of Culture has noted that the temporary occupation of parts of the Luhansk, Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson regions makes it impossible to determine the full extent of the losses to Ukrainian culture.
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