Damaged by Russian raids the National Art Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv

The National Museum of Art in Kyiv was also damaged during the Russian bombing that hitUkraine ’s capital tonight, causing four casualties. The attack was carried out by the Russian Federation in retaliation after the Ukrainian bombing of a dormitory in Starobilsk, Russian-occupied Luhansk oblast: according to Russia, 21 people were killed and 42 wounded during the Ukrainian attack, although due to the Russian authorities’ tight control over information and restrictions on occupied Ukrainian regions it is very difficult to do independent verification. According to Ukraine, a military target was reportedly hit: for the Ukrainians, in fact, the building allegedly housed a dronist base of the occupying army.

In any case, during the Russian attack, in addition to the loss of life, there was damage to the National Museum of Art in the capital: this was reported by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the museum itself through their official channels, specifying that the building was hit by the shock wave caused by the explosions that occurred during the raid. According to the museum’s release, neither the staff nor the collections housed inside the museum, which have already been secured, were affected. Immediately after the attack, inspection and verification operations were launched by the institution’s staff and specialized technical services, which were tasked with assessing the extent of damage and documenting the consequences caused by the explosions.

The building housing the museum represents one of Ukraine’s most important cultural monuments and is recognized as an asset of national significance in architectural, historical and artistic terms. The inspections currently underway concern both the structure and the decorative and monumental apparatus of the building, while Ukrainian cultural authorities are in the process of making detailed records of the damage sustained.

Commenting on the incident was Ukraine’s Deputy Premier for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture Tetyana Berezhna, who called the museum “a place where the history of Ukrainian art is preserved.” Berezhna stressed that “Russia systematically attacks civilian infrastructure and cultural institutions. Every attack is an attempt to intimidate and destroy our identity. We are documenting all the damage and continue to work on restoring our damaged cultural heritage.” A course of action that in recent years has involved numerous museums, monuments, libraries and historical sites damaged during the conflict.

The National Art Museum of Ukraine is considered one of the oldest and most important museum institutions in the country. Founded in the late 19th century, it holds a vast holdings that tell the story of Ukrainian art from medieval times to contemporary times. Its collections include thousands of works, from religious icons and classical painting to the languages of contemporary art. The museum represents one of the main centers of preservation and enhancement of Ukrainian cultural identity and in recent years has also become a symbol of the defense of the national artistic heritage during the conflict. Since the beginning of the Russian invasion, many Ukrainian cultural institutions have taken extraordinary measures to protect historical works and buildings, relocating part of the collections to safe locations or arranging for security measures.

The attack involving NAMU is part of a larger context of damage suffered by Ukraine’s cultural heritage since the beginning of the war. According to Kyiv authorities and several international organizations, numerous cultural sites, historic buildings, museums, theaters, and places of worship have been directly or indirectly affected by the bombing.

Damaged by Russian raids the National Art Museum of Ukraine in Kyiv

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