Russia Damaged Over 1,300 Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Sites, Ministry of Culture Reports

The Russian invasion has resulted in significant damage to Ukraine’s cultural heritage, with 1,333 cultural monuments and 2,185 cultural infrastructure facilities affected across the country, according to the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine. In January 2025 alone, 78 additional sites sustained damage in Kherson, Mykolaiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.

Of the 1,333 damaged cultural heritage sites, 131 are classified as national landmarks, 1,126 hold local significance, and 76 are newly documented sites. The destruction extends across 18 regions and the city of Kyiv, with the most severe losses recorded in:

• Kharkiv region – 324 sites

• Kherson region – 255 sites

• Donetsk region – 164 sites

• Odesa region – 137 sites

Among the 2,185 cultural infrastructure facilities impacted, 409 have been completely destroyed, constituting 18.7% of the total damage. The highest concentration of losses has been reported in Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Kyiv, Mykolaiv, Zaporizhzhia, and Sumy regions.

The affected cultural infrastructure includes:

• 1,056 community cultural centers

• 784 libraries

• 166 art education institutions

• 120 museums and galleries

• 39 theaters, cinemas, and philharmonic halls

• 7 nature reserves

• 9 parks and zoos

• 4 circuses

The Ministry reports that cultural institutions in 302 territorial communities, accounting for 20.6% of all communities in Ukraine, have been damaged. The most heavily affected areas by percentage of impacted communities include Donetsk region (87%), Sumy region (64.7%), and Kharkiv region (59%).

The extent of damage in temporarily occupied territories, including almost all of Luhansk region and significant portions of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions, remains unclear due to restricted access. The Ministry notes that the full scale of destruction can only be determined once these areas are accessible for evaluation.

Earlier, the Kyiv Teacher’s House, damaged in a Russian missile attack in October 2022, was included in the World Monuments Fund’s Watch 2025 program, facilitating international support for its restoration. The site, historically significant for Ukraine’s statehood, will receive emergency restoration funding, with plans to establish an international educational center.