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A blow to Kyiv. The National Commission for UNESCO has accused Russia of ‘cultural genocide’

A blow to Kyiv. The National Commission for UNESCO has accused Russia of ‘cultural genocide’

25 May 2026, 13:47

A blow to Kyiv. The National Commission for UNESCO has accused Russia of ‘cultural genocide’ — National Art Museum of Ukraine

Ukraine’s National Commission for UNESCO has described the intensive Russian shelling of Kyiv as ‘cultural genocide’ and an ‘act of terror’, and has called for the Russian Federation to be held to account.

This is stated in a comment by the National Commission for UNESCO, published by the Ukrainian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

According to the organisation, the following buildings were damaged by shelling:

the National Art Museum of Ukraine;
the Ukrainian House;
the T.G. Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine and its unique book repositories;
the Kyiv Opera (Kyiv Municipal Academic Opera and Ballet Theatre);
the National Music Academy of Ukraine;
The Educational and Research Institute of Public Administration and Civil Service at Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv;
The National Philharmonic of Ukraine;
The Yaroslav the Wise National Library;
The Small Opera in Kyiv.

Separately, the National Commission emphasised that the devastating strike on the National Museum ‘Chernobyl’ constituted ‘an absolute manifestation of barbarism that crosses the boundaries of human morality’. Russian troops destroyed historical evidence and artefacts of the 20th century’s greatest man-made disaster just one month after the museum had been modernised ahead of the 40th anniversary of the tragedy.

“This premeditated act of terror was directed against the historical and cultural heart of the Ukrainian capital. The Russian Federation is systematically waging war not only against the Ukrainian people, but also against Ukrainian culture, historical memory and the world’s cultural heritage,” the National Commission’s statement reads.

To date, Russia has already destroyed or damaged 1,783 cultural heritage sites and 2,540 cultural infrastructure sites across Ukraine.

The Commission calls on UNESCO:

to issue a public and principled assessment of the Russian attack on Kyiv on the night of 24 May 2026 and its consequences for Ukraine’s cultural, educational and scientific sectors.
to facilitate the recording and documentation of damage to cultural and educational sites.
to strengthen international mechanisms for the protection of Ukraine’s cultural heritage and support for affected institutions.
to consider measures to hold the Russian Federation more accountable for the systematic destruction of Ukraine’s cultural heritage, which bears the hallmarks of war crimes.

The attack on Kyiv on 24 May: what is known

During the night, Russian forces launched 90 missiles of various types against Ukraine, including a medium-range ballistic missile (the ‘Oreshnik’) and 600 drones of various types. Air defences intercepted 55 missiles and 549 drones.

Kyiv was the main target of the massive Russian strike. In terms of the number of locations damaged, this attack was the largest of those carried out by Russia since the start of the full-scale invasion. The number of casualties has already reached 86 people, three of whom are children. Two people were killed.

In the capital, damage has been reported across all districts of the city. The Russians struck residential buildings and schools, as well as a food market and the ‘Kvadrat’ shopping centre near the ‘Lukyanivska’ metro station.

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