The Ukrainian Center for Museum Development reported that Russia’s massive missile strike on Oct.10 caused serious damage to cultural and academic buildings in downtown Kyiv, namely:
- Taras Shevchenko National University (Red building, Institute of Philology
building); - Maksymovych Scientific Library;
- Institute of Literature at the National Academy of Sciences;
- Institute of Archeography at the National Academy of Sciences;
- National Philharmonic Society;
- Pedagogical Museum of Ukraine and Museum of the 1917-1921 Ukrainian
Revolution housed in the building of Central Rada.
Ironically, the facade of the Mikhail Bulgakov Museum was badly damaged. Bulgakov is notorious for his anti-Ukrainian views expressed in his novel “the White Guard.” Moreover, the worst damage was caused to the Russian Philology Department of the Institute of Philology at Shevchenko University.
Institute of Philology, Taras Shevchenko National University. Photo by Volodymyr Bugrov
Red building of Taras Shevchenko University
Education and Science Minister Serhiy Shkarlet commented, “(There are) countless injuries, destroyed infrastructure buildings, including Ukraine’s leading higher school, the National Academy of Sciences, the Kyiv City Teacher’s House, and one of the Ministry’s buildings.”
The blasts also broke windows in the Khanenko National Museum of Arts, the National Taras Shevchenko Museum, the Kyiv Picture Gallery, the National Research and Restoration Center, the Mykola Bazhan and Pavlo Tychyna memorial apartment museum, the National Museum of Natural Sciences at the National Academy of Sciences, and the Kyiv City History Museum.
Russian Philology chair office at Taras Shevchenko University
“Fortunately, the staff and students that were in or near the buildings were not injured,” wrote Volodymyr Bugrov, rector of Shevchenko University. “All classes and lectures are given remotely. The educational establishments will soon be restored to normal work.”
The porcelain cat that survived the missile strike on a window sill in a study room of the Institute of Philology. Photo by
Volodymyr Bugrov
