Over the past year, the enemy destroyed and damaged more than half a thousand cultural sites
In 2025, as a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine, 307 cultural heritage monuments and 261 cultural infrastructure facilities were destroyed or damaged.
This was reported on January 6 by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
Overall, since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, 1,640 cultural heritage monuments and 2,446 cultural infrastructure facilities have suffered destruction.
Among them are 153 monuments of national significance, 1,333 of local significance, and 154 newly identified sites — across 18 regions.
The most severe damage was recorded in Kharkiv Region (344), Kherson Region (297), Odesa Region (182), Donetsk Region (175), and Kyiv Region and the city of Kyiv (163).
Cultural infrastructure losses include 498 facilities:
- club institutions — 1,193;
- libraries — 854;
- art institutions — 188;
- museums and galleries — 136;
- theaters and cinemas — 50;
- parks and zoos — 11;
- nature reserves — 9;
- circuses — 4;
- a film studio in Kyiv.
Due to the temporary occupation of Luhansk Region and significant parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions, the exact number of affected sites is still being clariefied.
“In response to the large-scale destruction caused by Russian aggression, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, together with international partners, has established the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Foundation.
The mission of the Foundation is to mobilize international and national resources to protect, restore, and develop Ukrainian cultural heritage and culture as the foundation of identity, democracy, and European belonging.
The Ministry and its partners continue joint efforts to overcome the consequences of destruction and restore Ukraine’s cultural potential”, — the Ministry of Culture said.