Russian troops hit the center of the city of Kupyansk in the Kharkov region. This was announced by the head of the Office of the President of Ukraine Andriy Yermak.
According to him, the strike was delivered by S-300 missiles. The museum came under shelling, people remain under its rubble.
The head of the regional military administration (OVA), Oleg Sinegubov, also said that the local history museum came under fire in the city center. According to preliminary information, at least two people are under the rubble.
Updated: President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy commented on the strike and announced one dead – a museum employee. According to him, the number of wounded has increased to 10, there are still people under the rubble.
“The terrorist country is doing everything to destroy us completely: our history, our culture, our people, killing Ukrainians with absolutely barbaric methods. We have no right to forget about it even for a second. We must and will respond! Eternal memory of the deceased and condolences to the family. And the responsibility of all those responsible for these war crimes will definitely be, and will be ruthless.”
In July 2022, it was reported that 129 cultural heritage sites were damaged or completely destroyed as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Among them are 22 monuments of national importance, 100 of local importance and seven newly identified objects of cultural heritage. 105 valuable historical buildings were also damaged.
In total, as a result of Russian aggression, the following were damaged or destroyed:
- 149 religious buildings, of which 50 are registered as monuments of history, architecture and urban planning or valuable historical buildings,
- 46 memorial monuments in honor of historical figures and events of the 19th – early 21st centuries,
- 33 museums and reserves,
- 41 libraries,
- 65 houses of culture, theaters, cinemas and other cultural institutions.