Rome Statute, art. 8(2)(b)(ix); 1954 Hague Convention
Destruction of cultural sites
Destruction, looting or appropriation of museums, libraries, places of worship and monuments forming the cultural heritage of the occupied country.
- Incidents
- 5
- Documented victims
- 14
- Period covered
- 2017 — 2023
Geographic distribution
- Crimea1
- Kharkiv oblast1
- Kherson oblast1
- Odesa oblast1
- Chernihiv oblast1
Recorded incidents
20 June 2017 · · Crimea
Appropriation of museum collections
Items from public collections are moved off the territory without any verified inventory.
Destruction of cultural sites · sources: Regional inventories
1 March 2022 · · Kharkiv oblast
Historic buildings of the centre destroyed
The central square and several listed early twentieth-century buildings are severely damaged.
Destruction of cultural sites · sources: Regional heritage inventory
5victims
2 November 2022 · · Kherson oblast
Regional museum emptied before the withdrawal
Thousands of collection items are loaded into lorries in the days preceding the withdrawal.
Destruction of cultural sites · sources: Museum staff, Compared inventories
23 July 2023 · · Odesa oblast
Transfiguration Cathedral damaged
The World Heritage-listed historic centre is hit; the cathedral suffers structural damage.
Destruction of cultural sites · sources: UNESCO, Heritage directorate
2victims
19 August 2023 · · Chernihiv oblast
Regional theatre hit in the city centre
A missile strikes the central square on a day of public gathering, damaging the historic theatre.
Destruction of cultural sites · sources: City council
7victims