Topic: Cultural heritage
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Russian jet drones reach western Ukraine; falling debris damages record-setting canvas in Lutsk museum
Russia launched several dozen Geran-4 jet-powered drones from occupied Crimea toward western Ukraine, with four drones reaching Lviv and several reaching Lutsk after flights of roughly 820–880 km, according to presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov. On 13 October, air defenses downed two drones over Lviv Oblast, with debris damaging homes and cars in the villages of Murovane and Malekhiv and injuring three people. In Lutsk, falling debris ignited the roof of the "Adrenalin City" cultural and entertainment center, partially damaging "Cosmohonia," a six-part, over-2,000-square-metre record-setting canvas housed in the Korsaks Museum of Modern Ukrainian Art; the museum says other halls were not damaged and is deciding whether to restore the sixth part, "The Future," or preserve it as a reminder of war.
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Polish president's circle negotiates with far-right MEP Grzegorz Braun over Senate pact
Representatives of Polish President Karol Nawrocki are in talks with associates of Grzegorz Braun about adding Braun's party, Konfederacja Korony Polskiej, to a right-wing electoral pact for the Senate elections. The move would lift the political cordon sanitaire around a figure known for anti-Semitic, pro-Russian and anti-Ukrainian actions, including the recent destruction of a UPA memorial in eastern Poland.
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Ukrainian search expedition finds about 30 remains of 1944 massacre victims in Polish village of Laskiv
A Ukrainian search expedition discovered approximately 30 sets of human remains at an Orthodox cemetery in the village of Laskiv in Poland's Lublin Voivodeship. The remains are identified as Ukrainians killed in a March 1944 attack by units of the Home Army (Armia Krajowa) and Peasant Battalions (Bataliony Chłopskie). The dig was commissioned by the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance and carried out by the communal enterprise 'Dolya' under a Polish permit issued in August 2026.
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Russian drone strikes Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences building, killing at least two
On 28 September 2026, a Russian jet-powered drone struck the Presidium building of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine (NASU) in central Kyiv around 13:30, causing a large fire and partially destroying the second and third floors of the historic structure. At least two people were killed — including the personal assistant of NASU Vice-President Volodymyr Horbulin — and multiple others were injured; some NASU staff remained unreachable after the strike. President Zelensky promised a Ukrainian response, Foreign Minister Sybiha called on UNESCO to strip Russia of voting rights, and the strike drew condemnation from European leaders and institutions.
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Ukraine's cabinet backs monument to Hetman Mazepa in central Kyiv on site of dismantled Lenin statue
Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers has endorsed a Ministry of Culture proposal to erect a monument to Hetman Ivan Mazepa on Taras Shevchenko Boulevard in Kyiv, on the site of the Lenin monument toppled during the Euromaidan in 2013. The initiative was put forward by President Volodymyr Zelensky in June and is being implemented under a presidential decree.
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Zelensky meets Japanese PM Takaichi in New York, invites her to Kyiv
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly High-Level Week in New York. Zelensky thanked Japan for its ongoing support during Russia's war and invited Takaichi to visit Kyiv and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which Japan helped restore after a Russian drone strike.
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Russian drones hit Zaporizhzhia, damaging heritage-listed university building, shopping mall, and apartment blocks
Russian drone strikes hit Zaporizhzhia overnight on September 21, 2026, damaging two nine-story residential buildings, the Intrade shopping mall on Soborny Avenue, and three buildings of Zaporizhzhia National University, including a direct hit on its 1902 heritage-listed Building No. 3. Most Ukrainian sources report five civilians wounded, though later updates cite six. The strike was part of a nationwide overnight barrage of 172 strike UAVs and other munitions, with hits recorded at 14 locations across Ukraine.
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Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in central Kyiv, hits building opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral
On September 4, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) on Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv, opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral. A fire broke out and part of the floor structure and outer wall were destroyed. President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone was directed at the office of acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, who was not in the building at the time, and ordered preparation of an adequate, tangible, and where possible mirror response.
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Hungary's Magyar ties support for Ukraine's EU accession to minority rights deal
Hungarian Prime Minister Péter Magyar said on 3 September that Budapest will only back further progress in Ukraine's EU accession talks if a bilateral agreement on Hungarian minority rights in Ukraine is implemented. His comments came as Ukraine said it had met the conditions to open the second and third negotiating clusters, and as the Verkhovna Rada, Ukraine's parliament, unanimously adopted a statement condemning Soviet-era crimes in Transcarpathia.