The Russian-Ukrainian war has damaged more than 4,300 cultural sites in Ukraine

As of early May 2026, as a result of the ongoing Russian-Ukrainian war, Ukraine has recorded large-scale destruction of the cultural sector: 1,783 cultural heritage monuments and 2,540 cultural infrastructure facilities have been damaged or completely destroyed. According to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, the destruction covered 341 territorial communities in 18 regions of the country.

According to the detailed data of the Ministry, among the affected monuments of cultural heritage 161 objects have the status of national importance, 1460 – of local importance, and 162 are newly identified. 46 monuments were completely destroyed. The most critical situation is observed in Kharkiv (353 objects), Kherson (303), Donetsk (225), Odessa (202) and Kyiv regions, including the capital (173).

In parallel, the cultural infrastructure was seriously affected: of the 2,540 damaged objects, 518 were completely destroyed. The list of losses includes 1252 club institutions, 879 libraries, 191 art education institutions, 141 museums and galleries, as well as 52 theaters and philharmonies. Zoos, nature reserves, circuses and a movie studio in Kiev also came under fire.

The largest number of affected territorial communities was recorded in Donetsk (46), Sumy (39), Kharkiv (34) and Chernihiv (34) regions. The Ministry emphasizes that the current figures are not final, as the temporary occupation of Luhansk oblast and parts of Zaporizhzhya, Donetsk and Kherson oblasts makes it impossible to calculate the exact damage in these territories.

The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture together with international partners continues to work on fixing crimes against culture and planning reconstruction work to preserve the country’s cultural potential.