Due to Russian aggression in Ukraine, 1,685 cultural heritage sites and 2,483 cultural infrastructure objects have been destroyed or damaged.
Among the damaged cultural heritage sites, 155 have national significance, 1,370 have local significance, and 160 have just been discovered. Forty-five cultural heritage sites have been completely destroyed.
This was reported by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
In total, damage has been recorded in 18 regions. The most damage was done to monuments in the Kharkiv region — 349, Kherson — 298, Donetsk — 195, Odesa — 184, Kyiv region and Kyiv city — 172.
At the same time, 2,483 cultural infrastructure facilities were damaged as a result of shelling and hostilities, 507 of which were completely destroyed.
The cultural infrastructure suffered the greatest losses in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Kyiv, and Mykolaiv regions.
In total, the following were affected:
◾Clubs — 1,223;
◾Libraries — 858;
◾Art education institutions — 190;
◾Museums and galleries — 137;
◾theaters, cinemas, and concert halls – 50;
◾parks, zoos – 11;
◾nature reserves – 9;
◾circus venues – 4;
◾film studio in Kyiv.
Destruction has been recorded in 335 communities across Ukraine. The most damage has been in communities in Donetsk (46 communities), Sumy (38 communities), Kharkiv (34 communities), Chernihiv (34 communities), Zaporizhzhia (31 communities), Mykolaiv (23 communities), Dnipropetrovsk (22 communities), Kyiv (21 communities), and Luhansk (12 communities) regions.
Every day, Russians attack Ukraine, including cultural heritage sites and historical monuments. A total of 2,483 cultural infrastructure sites have been damaged, which is one of the greatest losses since World War II. This is a challenge that requires global coordination. That is why we have created the Ukrainian Cultural Heritage Fund. To be able to restore and preserve our history and culture for future generations," said Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna.
Almost the entire territory of Luhansk and significant parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions are under temporary occupation. This makes it impossible to accurately calculate the number of cultural institutions that have suffered as a result of hostilities and occupation.