The russian army, which came to Ukraine with the war, regularly launches missile strikes against civilian objects, including cultural heritage sites, some of which are considered historical assets of the country. Find out in which regions the russians have destroyed most of Ukraine's cultural sites

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Since the beginning of the great war against Ukraine, the russian army has destroyed various architectural monuments that were considered to be true art and historical heritage. Here's a look at how much cultural heritage has been damaged since the start of russia's full-scale aggression.

According to the Ministry of Culture, the occupiers destroyed 1062 cultural heritage sites. Of these, 123 are monuments of national importance, 864 are of local importance, and 75 are cultural heritage sites. 

Monuments of architecture and urban planning comprise 316 sites, architecture - 307, history - 226, architecture and urban planning, history - 61, archeology - 56, architecture, history - 39, monumental art - 21, urban planning and monumental and decorative art - 19, architecture, monumental art - 19, monumental art - 19, monumental art - 21, monumental art - 21, monumental art - 21, monumental art - 21, monumental art - 21. art - 19, architecture, monumental art - 7, urban planning - 5, science and technology, architecture - 2, architecture and urban planning, monumental art - 1, architecture, landscape gardening - 1, architecture and landscape gardening - 1.

Which regions have suffered the most damage?

According to the Ministry, cultural heritage sites have been damaged or destroyed in 18 regions, but most of them are in Kharkiv (299), Kherson (144), Donetsk (125), Odesa (115), Chernihiv (71), Kyiv and Kyiv City (69).

The most famous monuments destroyed by the russians

Church buildings in Kharkiv

On 2 March, shelling damaged an architectural monument - the building of the Holy Dormition Cathedral, built in 1778.

Another architectural monument, the building of the University Church of St Anthony the Great, was also damaged. Anthony the Great, built in 1820-23.

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Chernihiv: museums and library

On 7 March, the shelling damaged the facades of the buildings of the architectural monument of the Yelets Assumption Monastery of the XII- XIX centuries. The facades of the monastery walls and the gate with the 17th-century bell tower, as well as the drums of the 12th- and 17th-century chancel of the Assumption Cathedral were damaged.

On 11 March, during the bombardment of the city, an architectural monument, the building of the former late nineteenth-century V. V. Tarnovsky Museum of Ukrainian Antiquities, which houses the regional children's library, was partially destroyed.

Kyiv region

On 27 February, as a result of the occupation of the village by russian troops, the historic building of the Ivankiv Museum of Local Lore, which exhibited unique works by Ukrainian folk artist Maria Pryimachenko and prominent embroiderer Hanna Veres, completely burned down. The fate of the works is unknown.

On the morning of 7 March, russian troops shelled the village of Zavorichi in Brovary district, Kyiv region, with artillery systems. During the shelling, residential buildings were damaged and the wooden church of St George burned down. The church, built in 1878, had the status of a cultural heritage site.

It is worth noting that Visit Ukraine offers exclusive tours to the de-occupied regions of Ukraine. During this trip, you will be able to see with your own eyes the cities that were affected by the russian occupation in early 2022, when the occupying army launched an offensive against Ukraine. All details about the tour can be found at this link.

We remind you! As military tourism is gaining popularity around the world, some may confuse the concepts of war tours and unique donation tours to Ukraine by Visit Ukraine. Read here to find out what the fundamental difference between these two concepts is and why donation tours have a much deeper meaning and benefit.

Photo: REUTERS/Yan Dobronosov

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