Russia Continues to Destroy Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage

During another Russian attack on Ukraine on the night of July 24, Odesa’s Pryvoz Market – one of the oldest in Europe – was damaged. Other landmarks on the UNESCO World Heritage List, including Prymorskyi Boulevard, were also affected. Earlier, on June 10, the enemy struck Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.

With Russia’s near-daily attacks, it is difficult to determine the full extent of the damage caused by its aggression. The temporary occupation of parts of Ukraine also prevents any thorough assessment or documentation of the destruction inflicted on cultural sites in those areas.

As of July 21, 2025, Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications reports that 1,528 cultural heritage sites and 2,359 cultural infrastructure facilities have been damaged or destroyed as a result of Russia’s armed aggression against Ukraine.

Meanwhile, as of June 25, 2025, UNESCO confirmed damage to 501 objects, including “151 religious sites, 262 buildings of historical and/or artistic interest, 34 museums, 33 monuments, 18 libraries, one archive, and two archaeological sites”. The marked difference between the figures reported by the Ministry and those confirmed by UNESCO arises from their differing methods of data collection and verification. UNESCO cross-checks the Ukrainian government’s reports using independent sources, satellite imagery, and on-site inspections by its representatives. Moreover, UNESCO’s list does not include institutions such as cultural centers or art schools, whereas the Ministry counts all facilities related to culture that have been affected in any way.

Assessment of damages to Ukrainian culture

In March 2024, the Ministry of Culture announced that it was developing a methodology for assessing and documenting damage in cooperation with UNESCO, ICCROM, and ICOMOS in Ukraine. Unlike the pre-war approach, the new methodology will also estimate the cost of rebuilding damaged or destroyed sites. Its development is still underway.

On February 25, 2025, the Government of Ukraine, together with international partners, presented RDNA4 – an assessment of Ukraine’s damage and recovery needs as of December 31, 2024. According to this report, Ukraine’s cultural sector has suffered losses exceeding $4 billion, and over the next decade, the country will require $10.5 billion to rebuild and restore its cultural and tourism infrastructure (Figure 2).

However, there are far higher estimates of losses in the cultural sector. On February 29, 2024, at the United for Justice, United for Heritage international conference, then Prosecutor General of Ukraine Andrii Kostin stated that these losses amount to $19 billion. This figure is close to UNESCO’s estimates published on February 14 of the same year. According to UNESCO, $19.5 billion represents income loss in the cultural and tourism sectors, while $3.5 billion accounts for direct damage to cultural sites. UNESCO also projected that Ukraine will need about $9 billion over the next decade to rebuild its cultural heritage and revive tourism.

In its 2025 report, Rebuilding the Foundations of Peace: UNESCO’s Action in Ukraine, the organization presented updated estimates: $4.1 billion in damage and destruction to cultural sites (compared with $3.5 billion in 2024) and $29.3 billion in lost income from the cultural and tourism sectors. A study by the Kyiv School of Economics on direct war-related infrastructure damage reported similar figures: “Cultural, sports, and tourism infrastructure has suffered $4 billion in damages”.

The destruction of cultural heritage is not merely an act of military aggression – it is an attempt by Russia to erase the historical memory of the Ukrainian people. With every new attack, the threat grows not only to human lives but also to Ukraine’s cultural heritage, which has suffered and continues to suffer devastation. Accordingly, the amount needed for restoration continues to rise, and tragically, some cultural sites will never be rebuilt.