Russia destroyed and damaged over 1,600 monuments in Ukraine
As of November 25, as a result of Russian aggression in Ukraine, 1,630 monuments and 2,437 cultural infrastructure sites have been damaged or destroyed. Kharkiv, Kherson and Odesa regions were the hardest hit. More than 670,000 museum items have been evacuated.
By Oleg Bazylewicz
December 4, 2025 · 1 min read
As of November 25, in Ukraine as a result of Russian aggression damage or destruction has been recorded to 1,630 cultural heritage sites and 2,437 cultural infrastructure facilities.
Damaged heritage sites and statuses
Among the affected heritage sites, 151 have national status, 1,326 are of local significance, and 153 were recently discovered. Thirty-six sites have been completely destroyed. Damage has been recorded in 18 regions of Ukraine.
Regions with the greatest losses
The most damage was recorded in Kharkiv region — 344 sites, Kherson — 295, and Odesa — 182. Significant damage was also recorded in Donetsk region (175) and in Kyiv together with Kyiv region (161).
Affected institutions and evacuation of exhibits
Among the affected cultural infrastructure facilities, club institutions (1,187) and libraries (853) suffered the most. Next by number of damages are art education institutions — 187, museums and galleries — 135, theaters, cinemas and philharmonics — 50. Parks and zoos (11), nature reserves (9), circuses (4) and the Kyiv film studio were also damaged.
Overall, of the 2,437 damaged cultural infrastructure facilities, 498 were found to be completely destroyed. The Ministry of Culture evacuated more than 670,000 museum items from frontline territories.
