Libraries make up the second largest group among damaged or destroyed cultural infrastructure objects. The largest share consists of community cultural centers – 1,300. Russian attacks destroyed 283 of them, and another 1,017 were damaged.
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In total, 2,625 cultural infrastructure objects have been affected by Russian aggression in Ukraine. In July, their number increased by another 49. Most new damages and destructions were recorded in the Sumy, Dnipropetrovsk, Zaporizhzhia, and Chernihiv regions.
Since the beginning of the war, 196 art education institutions in Ukraine have been affected, of which 25 were destroyed and 171 damaged; 141 museums and galleries, of which 20 were destroyed and 121 damaged; 56 theaters, cinemas, and philharmonics, of which four were destroyed and 52 damaged; 13 parks and zoos, 9 nature reserves, 3 circuses, and a film studio in Kyiv.
The greatest losses to cultural infrastructure were suffered in the Donetsk, Kharkiv, Kherson, Sumy, Kyiv, and Zaporizhzhia regions.
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Additionally, by the end of July this year, the Russians damaged or destroyed 1,990 cultural heritage objects.
“Russia is systematically waging war against Ukrainian culture, aiming to destroy our identity. Especially repeated strikes on already damaged monuments show the nature of Russia’s aggression against Ukrainian culture. We document losses and strengthen emergency response and work to attract resources for the restoration of objects,” says Ukraine’s Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna.
The ministry emphasized that the data presented does not reflect the full scale of losses. Due to the temporary occupation of almost all of Luhansk region and large parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk, and Kherson regions, it is impossible to determine the final number of destroyed and damaged cultural institutions.
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