Number of cultural sites destroyed by Russians in Ukraine revealed

Since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, 1,582 cultural sites have been damaged. This was reported on the Telegram channel of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.

As of 25 June, 1,582 objects of cultural infrastructure, not including monuments of cultural heritage, have suffered losses, of which 585 have been destroyed," the report said.

The ministry noted that the largest losses were recorded in eastern Ukraine and the Kiev region. In particular, the Russians have damaged or completely destroyed the largest number of cultural facilities in Donetsk, Kherson, Kharkiv, Kiev, Mykolayiv, Zaporizhzhya and Luhansk regions.

Speaking about the categories, cultural facilities, the Ministry pointed out that Russians damaged 474 clubhouses and destroyed 281. They also destroyed 380 libraries and damaged another 218. They also completely destroyed 56 museums and galleries, and damaged another 28. During the war the invaders had already destroyed sixteen theatres and damaged ten. Seventy-one art education institutions were completely destroyed, and another 48 were defeated.

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy estimates cultural losses due to the war in Ukraine at around $7 billion. However, the figure is not final.