Russian FPV Drone Strikes Kherson Art Museum, Sparking Fire and Damaging Building

A Russian FPV drone struck the Kherson Regional Art Museum on the morning of August 20, sparking a fire in the building and a nearby utility structure, according to Ukraine’s State Emergency Service (SES).

Emergency crews extinguished the fire while working under the continued threat of further Russian attacks. No casualties were reported.

The museum said the drone strike caused a fire in the right wing of the building and adjacent utility structures.

Firefighters had to cut through the flooring between levels of the museum to reach areas where materials continued to smolder and periodically reignite.

The fire completely destroyed furniture and chairs in rooms in the museum’s right wing, while parquet flooring in the corridors was partially burned. Books stored in a corridor near one of the museum’s collection storage areas were also damaged by the fire.

In addition, the building’s electrical wiring and heating system were completely destroyed, leaving the museum without power, according to the institution.

The strike in Kherson came as Russia carried out a large-scale combined missile and drone attack on Kyiv and the surrounding region overnight, killing at least 13 people and damaging civilian infrastructure, including a children’s hospital, food warehouses, and Red Cross facilities.

According to Ukraine’s Air Force, Russian forces launched 214 aerial targets during the attack, 186 of which were intercepted or suppressed by Ukrainian air defenses.

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