Since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine on 24 February 2022, cultural and educational infrastructure has suffered extensive destruction. Missile strikes, artillery shelling, drone attacks, and fires have damaged or destroyed thousands of cultural institutions across the country – including museums, libraries, theatres, cinemas, houses of culture, religious buildings, and educational facilities.
The scale of the losses is substantial but difficult to quantify fully. Many of the lost or damaged structures were not formally listed monuments, despite their cultural and social importance. Their value may lie not in their exceptional architecture, but in their function as spaces of education, memory, worship, and collective life.
Cultural and educational buildings form an essential part of our exhibition "Destroyed Ukrainian Heritage. Ukraine's Built Heritage since 24 February 2022. A Record of Destruction", which went online in 2025. While this survey includes all types of buildings, a new exhibition focuses specifically on the losses suffered by places of culture and learning.
