Night attack on Odesa: Russian missiles hit art museum in UNESCO protected area

Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture and Information Policy reported the information.

It noted that the Odesa museum was damaged by explosions caused by a Russian missile attack on the eve of its 124th anniversary. 

Photo: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy

Seven exhibitions with works by contemporary artists were damaged. The walls of the architectural monument were also damaged, some windows and glass were shattered. Currently, all events in the museum have been canceled.

Photo: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy

Employees of the cultural heritage protection bodies of the Odesa Regional Military Administration and the Odesa City Council are working at the site of the explosions and recording the damage to the object, which is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Photo: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy

In addition to the Odesa National Art Museum, residential buildings located around the missile hit area were damaged, and there are currently about 10 damaged objects.

Photo: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy

At the same time, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, Oleh Kiper, later emphasized that at the time of the attack, most of the museum's collection had been evacuated the day before. In particular, it concerns the so-called red and yellow lines.

Photo: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy

According to the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration, the rest of the exhibits were hidden in a storage facility. Canvases and paintings of current exhibitions were not damaged.   

Kiper added that a commission is currently working on the territory of the museum to inspect cultural heritage sites.

Photo: Ministry of Culture and Information Policy

• On the night of Monday, November 6, the Russian army launched a combined attack on the southern regions of Ukraine, using attack drones and various types of missiles. As a result of the attack, 8 people were injured and infrastructure was damaged in the center of Odesa.