Russian general charged in absentia for missile strike on museum dedicated to 18th century Ukrainian philosopher
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A Russian lieutenant general has been charged in absentia with ordering the strike on the Kharkiv Oblast museum dedicated to 18th-century philosopher Hryhorii Skovoroda, the Prosecutor General reported on Oct. 29.
On May 6, 2022, a Russian missile struck the museum, located in the village of Skovorodynivka, some 55 kilometers (about 35 miles) from the regional capital. The strike did not completely destroy the museum, but left it in serious disrepair.
According to the Prosecutor General, the Russian lieutenant general who ordered the attack is originally from the village of Chuhuiv in Kharkiv Oblast and commands Russia's 6th Guards Air and Air Defense Forces Army.
"The (lieutenant) general knew for certain that he was attacking not a military target but a monument of Ukrainian culture. Despite this, he gave the combat order to destroy it," the Prosecutor General wrote.
Skovoroda is considered one of the most influential philosophers in Ukrainian intellectual history. His written works are vital contributions to the Ukrainian Baroque and Enlightenment traditions. The building that housed the museum was once the estate where Skovoroda spent his final years and died in 1794.
Russia has repeatedly targeted Ukraine's cultural heritage since the start of the full-scale war. As of September 2026, 2,161 cultural heritage sites and 2,665 cultural institutions in Ukraine had been damaged or destroyed, according to data collected by the Culture Ministry.
