Russia damages 1,783 cultural heritage sites in Ukraine

As of early May 2026, 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure facilities in Ukraine have been destroyed or damaged as a result of Russian aggression.

That is according to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Ukrinform reports.

Among the damaged cultural heritage sites, 161 have national status, 1,460 are of local significance, and 162 have been newly identified. A total of 46 cultural heritage monuments have been completely destroyed.

Damage has been recorded across 18 regions of Ukraine. The greatest destruction was reported in Kharkiv region (353 sites), Kherson region (303), Odesa region (202), Donetsk region (225), as well as in Kyiv region and the city of Kyiv (173).

In addition, 2,540 cultural infrastructure facilities have been damaged as a result of shelling and hostilities, of which 518 have been completely destroyed.

The cultural infrastructure has suffered the greatest losses in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Kyiv, and Mykolaiv regions.

Overall, the affected facilities include 1,252 community centers, 879 libraries, 191 arts education institutions, 141 museums and galleries, 52 theaters, cinemas, and philharmonic halls, 11 parks and zoos, nine nature reserves, four circuses; and a film studio in Kyiv.

Destruction has been recorded in 341 territorial communities across Ukraine. The highest numbers are in communities in Donetsk region (46), Sumy region (39), Kharkiv region (34), Chernihiv region (34), Zaporizhzhia region (31), Mykolaiv region (23), Dnipropetrovsk region (23), Kyiv region (21), and Luhansk region (12).

The ministry noted that almost all of the Luhansk region and significant parts of the Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions are under temporary occupation. This makes it impossible to accurately calculate the number of cultural institutions affected by hostilities and occupation.

Photo: Andriy Sadovyi / Facebook