Since the start of the full-scale war in Ukraine, 2,185 cultural heritage sites and 2,686 cultural institutions have been damaged or destroyed.
The Ministry of Culture published these figures as of the end of October.
Among the affected monuments are 199 of national significance, 1,781 of local significance, and 205 newly identified sites. Forty-eight of them have been completely destroyed, while the rest have been damaged.
Cultural heritage has suffered the greatest losses in Donetsk region, where 369 sites were affected. Kharkiv region has 355 such monuments, Kherson region 308, Kyiv 292, and Odesa region 215.
In October, buildings within a UNESCO World Heritage Site were affected
During October, new strikes on cultural heritage sites were recorded in eight regions and the capital. In particular, Russian forces repeatedly attacked monuments that had already been damaged in Donetsk and Kherson regions and in Kyiv. Buildings within the UNESCO World Heritage Site "Historic Centre of Odesa" were also affected in October.
In addition to monuments, Russian aggression has damaged 2,686 cultural institutions. Of these, 572 have been completely destroyed. Cultural infrastructure in 365 territorial communities has suffered destruction and damage.
The hardest hit were club venues—1,336—as well as libraries—923. Among the damaged or destroyed facilities are also 200 arts education institutions, 142 museums and galleries, and 57 theatres, cinemas and philharmonic halls.
In addition, nine nature reserves, 15 parks and zoos, three circuses, and one film studio in Kyiv were damaged. The largest number of new instances of destruction of cultural institutions in October was recorded in Dnipropetrovsk, Kharkiv and Chernihiv regions.
The Ministry of Culture noted that an accurate accounting of losses in the temporarily occupied territories remains difficult. Almost all of Luhansk region and significant parts of Zaporizhzhia, Donetsk and Kherson regions are under Russian occupation.