Barrage of Russian missiles damages museums, library and theatre in Kyiv

A major Russian missile and drone strike over the weekend damaged multiple cultural institutions in Kyiv, including the National Art Museum of Ukraine, the Yaroslav Mudryi National Library of Ukraine, the Kyiv Opera Theatre, and the National Chornobyl Museum, according to a 24 May Facebook post by Ukraine’s culture ministry. President Volodymyr Zelensky said about 100 people were injured and four killed across Ukraine, with 30 residential buildings damaged or destroyed in Kyiv, and he visited the National Chornobyl Museum, which suffered the worst damage. Ukraine’s military reported Russia used 600 drones and 90 missiles, including the hypersonic, nuclear-capable Oreshnik; Russia described the barrage as retaliation for a Ukrainian strike in Starobilsk, while Ukraine said it hit a drone unit. Culture minister Tetyana Berezhna said Russia has destroyed or damaged 1,783 cultural heritage monuments and 2,540 cultural infrastructure objects since the February 2022 full-scale invasion, and Ukrainian House—hosting the April exhibition “Chornobyl. Shelter” marking the disaster’s 40th anniversary—was also damaged but reported no harm to the exhibition.

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