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Russian Shelling Damages Kyiv WWII Museum at Foot of Motherland Monument
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![Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko]( "Photo of Dariia Mykhailenko")
Russian shelling on February 3 damaged the Hall of Glory at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, located at the base of the Motherland Monument in Kyiv, Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna said.
According to Berezhna, the site is a locally protected monument of science and technology. She described the strike as both symbolic and cynical, noting that the aggressor state targeted a place dedicated to the memory of the fight against aggression in the 20th century, while committing similar crimes in the 21st.
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Specialized services are currently working at the site, including museum staff, technical teams, and police. They are inspecting the area, documenting the damage, and conducting an initial assessment of losses. The scope of restoration work will be determined once the examination is complete.
Berezna said that since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 1,680 cultural heritage sites and thousands of cultural infrastructure facilities across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed. She stressed that this represents the deliberate destruction of culture and historical memory and requires a consolidated international response, including stronger sanctions against Russia and additional air defense systems for Ukraine.
To support systematic restoration and protection efforts, Ukraine and its partners are developing the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund, envisioned as a transparent international mechanism for recovery involving states and institutions that support Ukraine.
The museum continues to operate. Berezhna also thanked Ukraine’s Defense Forces for protecting the country, its people, and its cultural heritage.
National Museum of the History of Ukraine in World War II is part of a much wider pattern of destruction targeting the country’s cultural heritage.
According to Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, Russian attacks in 2025 alone damaged or destroyed 307 cultural heritage sites and 261 cultural infrastructure facilities nationwide. Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, the overall toll has risen to 1,640 damaged or destroyed heritage sites and 2,446 cultural institutions.
The ministry noted that among the affected heritage sites, 153 are classified as nationally significant, 1,333 as locally significant, and 154 as newly identified cultural monuments. Damage has been documented across 18 regions of Ukraine.
The Kharkiv region has suffered the greatest losses, with 344 cultural heritage sites damaged, followed by the Kherson region with 297. Significant destruction has also been recorded in the Odesa region (182 sites), the Donetsk region (175), and in the Kyiv region and the capital combined (163).
Ukrainian authorities describe the scale of destruction as systematic, underscoring concerns that cultural landmarks and institutions are being deliberately targeted as part of Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Earlier, UNESCO endorsed Ukraine’s request to extend enhanced protection to 19 more cultural heritage sites, bringing the total number of Ukrainian landmarks covered by the highest level of international legal protection to 46.
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