Russian strikes hit historical museum in Odessa, injuring eight, says kyiv

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Residential buildings and the Museum of Fine Arts were hit by Russian strikes overnight from Sunday to Monday on the large port city of Odessa, in the south. There are at least 8 injured, according to a provisional report from the Ukrainian authorities.

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An exhibition hall at the National Museum of Fine Arts in Odessa damaged following a strike on the Ukrainian city, November 5, 2023. (ODESA NATIONAL FINE ARTS MUSEUM / VIA AFP)

Debris and shards of glass litter the ground. Several windows were blown out and walls were cracked. Some paintings on the ground appear to have been projected: this is what can be seen in the images published by the local authorities and the Odessa Museum of Fine Arts. Russian strikes hit the large city in southern Ukraine on the night of Sunday November 5 to Monday November 6, according to kyiv. Ukrainian authorities have accused Moscow of firing four missiles and launching attack drones from Russian-occupied Ukrainian territories. The strikes injured at least eight people and notably damaged residential buildings and the Museum of Fine Arts, according to Ukrainian officials.

“Cultural sites must be protected”

The Odessa Museum of Fine Arts is an elegant pink building, which was opened in the late 19th century according to its website. From the start of the war, as in the majority of other museums, most of the works were evacuated, avoiding immense damage. In the process, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) strongly condemned the attack and recalled that “cultural sites must be protected”.

The crater after a Russian strike, according to Ukrainian authorities, is visible on the street in front of the National Museum of Fine Arts in Odessa, southern Ukraine, November 6, 2023. (NINA LIASHONOK / AVALON / MAXPPP )

The entire city center of Odessa and this Museum of Fine Arts are listed as UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The city’s museums are located near the port, which is regularly targeted by Russian missiles and drones, and are even more exposed. Ukrainian Deputy Foreign Minister Emine Djeppar said “deeply outraged” by this strike. “The deliberate destruction of cultural sites is a crime against Ukrainian heritage”she protested, asking “a strong international response”.


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