Barbarians from russia damage or completely destroy 1,723 monuments of cultural heritage of Ukraine - Budanov

According to official data, as of the beginning of April 2026, russian troops damaged or completely destroyed 1,723 cultural heritage sites and 2,524 cultural infrastructure facilities and stole tens of thousands of museum artifacts.

The head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Kyrylo Budanov announced this on Saturday, on the Day of Historical and Cultural Monuments.

"From Chernihiv to Sevastopol, from Mariupol to Lviv, Moscow is destroying our churches, museums, libraries and theaters. As of the beginning of April 2026, we have figures that are difficult to comprehend: according to official data alone, the Russians have damaged or completely destroyed 1,723 cultural heritage sites and 2,524 cultural infrastructure facilities and stolen tens of thousands of museum artifacts," he wrote on Telegram.

Budanov noted that the destruction of "our monuments is an attempt to deprive us of our support, to erase the connection between generations, to question the very right to our own history. The systematic destruction of our culture, our memory, our identity is another manifestation of Moscow's policy of intolerance and genocide against Ukrainians."

He expressed confidence that "every crime must be recorded. Every destroyed monument must be documented, and every stolen thing must be returned. Culture is not about entertainment. It is about who we are. This is what we will pass on to our children after the victory."