Ministry of Culture Reports Number of Cultural Sites Damaged by Shelling

Since the war began, Russian attacks have damaged hundreds of Ukraine’s cultural heritage sites and infrastructure, affecting museums, theaters, libraries, and historic monuments across 18 regions.

Since the beginning of the war in Ukraine, 1,640 cultural heritage sites and 2,446 cultural infrastructure facilities have been recorded as damaged or destroyed.

As a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine in 2025, 307 cultural heritage sites and 261 cultural infrastructure facilities were damaged or destroyed. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, according to Korrespondent.net.

These figures are part of a systematic accounting of losses to Ukrainian culture caused by hostilities, shelling, and temporary occupation of territories. At the same time, the actual number of destroyed or damaged sites may be higher, as a full assessment is currently impossible in some occupied areas.

According to the ministry, since the beginning of the war, 1,640 cultural heritage sites and 2,446 cultural infrastructure facilities have been recorded as damaged or destroyed. Among them are sites of national and local significance, as well as newly discovered objects.

The regions that suffered the greatest losses are Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Donetsk, and Kyiv regions, along with the capital. Damage has been recorded in a total of 18 regions of Ukraine. Among the affected cultural infrastructure are clubs, libraries, museums, theaters, art education institutions, and other spaces that shape the cultural life of communities.

It is worth noting that in the summer, Russian shelling led to damage to seven cultural heritage sites in Odesa. Four of them have the status of national heritage monuments. These sites are located in Odesa’s historic center, which is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.