Russian Strike Damages WWII Museum Hall of Glory in Kyiv

A Russian strike on Kyiv has damaged the Hall of Glory at the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War, located at the base of the Motherland Monument, Ukrainian officials said on Tuesday.

Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna said the attack hit a site commemorating Ukraine’s fight against aggression in the 20th century.

“Both symbolic and cynical at the same time: the aggressor state has struck a place of memory dedicated to the struggle against aggression in the 20th century, repeating those crimes in the 21st,” Berezhna wrote on Facebook.

Museum specialists, technical services, and police are working at the site to document the damage and conduct an initial assessment of losses. Despite the damage, the museum continues to operate.

The strike follows a previous Russian attack on Kyiv overnight on Jan. 24 that damaged buildings at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a centuries-old monastery complex housing some of Ukraine’s most revered shrines and relics.

Site officials said it was the first time since World War II that military action had damaged the Lavra.

According to officials, the blast wave damaged Building No. 66, which serves as an entrance to the Far Caves, and Building No. 67, the 17th-century Annunciation Church.

Windows and doors were blown out, while plaster and interior decorative elements were also damaged. No injuries were reported.

The affected area lies above the Lavra’s extensive catacombs, where the relics of dozens of Orthodox saints are interred.

Since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion, more than 1,680 cultural heritage sites and thousands of cultural infrastructure facilities across Ukraine have been damaged or destroyed, according to Ukrainian officials.