‘We could hear the roof collapsing’: how Russian missiles devastated Kyiv’s cultural sites
Russia’s recent assault killed two people, injured 90 more and significantly damaged many of the capital’s museums
TL;DR
- The National Chornobyl Museum in Kyiv suffered significant damage from a Russian missile strike on May 23, less than a month after its reopening.
- Approximately 40% of the irreplaceable artifacts on display at the Chornobyl Museum were destroyed.
- The National Art Museum of Ukraine also sustained damage, with windows blown out and structural issues, though its collection is largely safe.
- Numerous other cultural buildings and institutions in Kyiv, including the Zhytnyi market and the Mala Opera, were impacted by the recent attacks.
- Since 2022, Ukraine's culture ministry reports that the Russian army has destroyed or damaged over 1,700 cultural heritage sites and 2,500 cultural infrastructure sites.