Culture under fire

With the beginning of the war in Ukraine, a brutal attack on our cultural heritage began. 1,640 monuments were destroyed or damaged, 2,446 cultural objects became victims of aggression. These are not just numbers - this is our history, our creations, our hopes. In 2025, 307 monuments of cultural heritage and 261 objects of cultural infrastructure were damaged at the hands of the enemy. The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine is not silent - there is no room for compromises here.

These are terrible losses, and the real picture may be even worse. No one can calculate all the destruction, because there is no room left for the truth in the occupied territories. Monuments of national and local importance, discovered and undiscovered objects - each of them is pierced by the pain of war.

Kharkiv, Kherson, Odesa, Donetsk and Kyiv regions are the regions that suffered the most. Eighteen regions of Ukraine have suffered criminal attacks on cultural gems. Museums, libraries, theaters - they have all become targets for the irresponsibility of the aggressor. Our cultural and educational infrastructure - these spaces shape our lives, and now they are in ruins.

Summer brought a new blow: Russian shelling affected seven cultural heritage sites in Odessa. Four of them - monuments of national importance - were hit in the center of my city, in a place that is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is not just destruction, it is an attack on the very essence of our culture, our identity. Brave years of struggle and selflessness of the people, but this will not destroy our spirit. We are against the system - and we will continue to fight for the truth, for our culture, which cannot be destroyed.