- Category
- Culture
Ukraine Documents Nearly 2,000 Damaged Heritage Sites, 11 Russian Soldiers Named as Suspects
Prefer U24 Media on Google
- Authors
![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Ukraine has documented the damage or destruction of 1,990 cultural heritage sites as a result of actions by Russian forces, the Office of the Prosecutor General reported on August 17.
Ukrainian prosecutors and law enforcement agencies have notified 11 members of the Russian Armed Forces of suspicion of violating the laws and customs of war in connection with the destruction and damage of cultural property.
We bring you stories from the ground. Your support keeps our team in the field.
Authorities are separately documenting crimes against cultural heritage in temporarily occupied Ukrainian territories, where Russia is accused not only of damaging historical sites but also of removing and appropriating cultural artifacts.
One such case documented by investigators concerns the medieval settlement of Solkhat in Staryi Krym, located in Russian-occupied Crimea and designated by Ukraine as a cultural heritage site of national significance.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, Russian archaeologists conducted unauthorized excavations at the site after Russia occupied the peninsula. The work was carried out without permission from Ukrainian authorities and resulted in the partial destruction of cultural layers dating from the 13th and 14th centuries.
“During the excavations, archaeological artifacts were removed, including elements of an ancient water supply system, glazed bowls, and fragments of ceramic vessels. One of the expedition participants transferred some of the recovered artifacts to the State Hermitage Museum. Russia subsequently added them to the State Catalogue of its Museum Fund,” the statement read.
As a result, Ukrainian prosecutors said, a cultural heritage site in temporarily occupied Crimea was damaged while artifacts removed from it were effectively incorporated by Russia into its own state museum heritage.
Investigators have also identified a researcher at the State Hermitage Museum and a representative of the so-called Institute of Archaeology of Crimea of the Russian Academy of Sciences as involved in the case.
The documented destruction forms part of broader damage to Ukraine’s cultural sector since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion. According to World Bank estimates cited by Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna, the war has caused an estimated $24 billion in direct and indirect losses to the sector.
Discuss this article:
-457ad7ae19a951ebdca94e9b6bf6309d.png)
-111f0e5095e02c02446ffed57bfb0ab1.jpeg "Photo of Roman Kohanets")
-f4e265d9e3ea70d34148a08e521a417f.jpg "Anne Hathaway speaks onstage at the Disney Entertainment Showcase at D23: The Ultimate Disney Fan Event on August 14, 2026 in Anaheim, California. (Source: Getty Images)")
-4e016e1d5bacf3ecc0af9d5076009fd1.jpg "Chappell Roan promotes her MAC Cosmetics lip combo. (Source: @chappellroan/Instagram)")