Skip to content
Edit post

Ministry: Russia's war destroys or damages almost 2,000 cultural facilities

by Martin Fornusek and The Kyiv Independent news desk May 2, 2024 3:02 PM 1 min read
An evening look at the ruins of the destroyed ethnographic museum in Kupiansk, which became an ideological target of the Russian forces, on Oct. 3, 2023. (Amadeusz Świerk)
This audio is created with AI assistance

Russia's full-scale war resulted in damage to 1,987 cultural facilities as of April 25, the Culture Ministry said on May 2. Some 16.3% of this number – 324 – were destroyed completely.

Ukrainian cultural sites have often become targets for Russian drone and missile attacks as Russia continues to attempt to erase the Ukrainian identity.

The latest figure accounts for almost 200 more institutions damaged or destroyed since the Culture Ministry's previous update from March.

The list of damaged sites includes 958 cultural and social clubs, 708 libraries, 153 art schools, 114 museums and galleries, 36 theaters, cinemas, and concert halls, 15 parks, zoos, and nature reserves, and three circuses.

This number does not include damaged or destroyed cultural heritage sites, which have amounted to 945 as of March.

Club establishments, libraries, museums, theaters, concert halls, and art schools were damaged on the territory of 281 communities.

According to available data, the most affected regions were Donetsk, Kharkiv, Sumy, Chernihiv, and Luhansk oblasts.

The Culture Ministry noted that it is currently impossible to fully account for damages in Luhansk, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Kherson oblasts, as they remain under partial Russian occupation.

Ihor Poshyvailo: Churches, religious sites play special role in Ukraine’s resistance
Editor’s Note: The Kyiv Independent is exclusively re-publishing an interview with Ihor Poshyvailo prepared by the Forum for Ukrainian Studies, a research publication for experts, practitioners, and academics to discuss, explore, reflect upon, develop, and transform international understanding of co…

News Feed

5:15 AM

Media identifies nearly 85,000 Russian soldiers killed in Ukraine.

According to the outlets' conclusions for the year, 2024 will likely mark the "war's deadliest year," with a current count of over 20,000 deaths confirmed over the past 12 months — although final conclusions cannot yet be made as data on casualties continues to emerge.
11:17 PM

Zelensky meets with CIA director in Kyiv.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said on Dec. 21 that he met with CIA Director William Burns in Ukraine, marking a rare public acknowledgment of their discussions during Russia’s full-scale invasion.
4:16 AM

IMF approves $1.1 billion in funding for Ukraine.

The IMF approved the $1.1 billion tranche after completing its sixth review of the Extended Fund Facility (EFF), a plan to provide Ukraine with over $15 billion in budget support over four years.
MORE NEWS

Editors' Picks

Enter your email to subscribe
Please, enter correct email address
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required

Subscribe

* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Subscribe
* indicates required
Explaining Ukraine with Kate Tsurkan
* indicates required
Successfuly subscribed
Thank you for signing up for this newsletter. We’ve sent you a confirmation email.