Russia committed another terrorist attack on Odesa’s historic centre, which has been inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO.

Whats going on?

• On July 23, Russia shelled the historic centre of Odesa, damaging 25 architectural monuments of global significance and protected by UNESCO. Among damaged are the largest Orthodox church in Odesa — the Transfiguration Cathedral, the Odesa House of Scientists, the Stoliarskyi Music Lyceum of Odesa, and a complex of historic residential buildings on Preobrazhenska Street. There were no military facilities among the damaged landmarks.
• Russians constantly shell cities near the frontline, hitting hotels where journalists and members of international organisations usually stay. On August 7, Russians shelled Pokrovsk (Donetsk region) twice, killing civilians and rescuers. The second strike occurred when a rescue operation was underway and struck a nearby popular hotel. 9 people were killed and 82 were injured. On August 10, Russian forces carried out a missile strike on Zaporizhzhia that damaged the Reikartz hotel, which UN representatives had used in the past during trips to Ukraine. One person died, 16 were wounded.

Losses

The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights has recorded at least 26,384 civilian casualties in Ukraine since February 24, 2022. It is impossible to establish the actual number of dead, wounded, and forcibly displaced people due to the fact that the occupation forces are continuing their assault on Ukraine.

• On June 7, Serhiy Dovhan was killed while performing a combat mission in the Sumy region. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion, he worked as a deputy director and head of the Museum-Archive of Folk Culture of Ukrainian Polissya for the State Scientific Center for the Protection of Cultural Heritage from Man-Made Disasters. 
• On July 2, Andrii Hudyma, an artist and restaurateur from Lviv, was killed in battle with the Russian occupiers near Bakhmut. His book, 69 Spices for the Heart, was going to be published soon by Old Lion Publising House.
• On July 21, news emerged of the death of Kyiv Academy violinist David Yakushyn. He volunteered to serve in the territorial defense division of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Yakushyn took his violin to the front with him, and regularly played for the other soldiers to help keep their spirits up.
• On July 30, it became known that actor Eugene Svitlychnyi, who fought in the Armed Forces of Ukraine, was killed in battle. Eugene Svitlychniy played the role of Karas in Oleh Sentsov’s film Rhino. The movie had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival in 2021.

Find out more in our monitoring of losses among cultural figures.

Russias crimes against media

Since the beginning of the full-scale war, Russia has committed 524 crimes against journalists and media in Ukraine.

• Sound producer and serviceman Ivan Shulha was killed at the frontline in June. Since 2015, Ivan had worked at Starlight Media and on the TV channel Priamyi as a live-stream sound engineer. After the very beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Ivan enlisted in the army.
• Journalist and serviceman Roman Chornomaz was killed on June 13 in the Bakhmut direction. In his civilian life, Roman was an activist, photo reporter, and correspondent with Nasha Vira newspaper. Since the first day of the full-scale war, Roman joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
• Maksym Shvartsman, serviceman, photo correspondent, and cameraman with the Chernivtsi broadcaster A. S. S., was killed in the Donetsk region on July 15. Maksym enlisted in the Chernivtsi territorial defense since the first days of the full-scale war.
• Serviceman and ex-videographer with the Suspilne in Rivne, Kostiantyn Hnitetskyi was killed near the locality of Dibrova in the Luhansk region on July 16. Before Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, he worked at the Rivne Regional Department of Culture and Tourism and made a career in digitalization.
• On July 18, historian, journalist, and serviceman Dmytro Rybakov was killed in battle with the Russian occupiers. This happened during offensive actions in the Zaporizhzhia direction. Since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Dmytro Rybakov joined the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Before the war, he worked as an editor and media consultant with such outlets as Chas.News, Forbes Ukraine, LB, Ukrainska Pravda, and Mindua.

Find out more about journalists and media workers who died in Ukraine as a result of Russia’s full-scale war.

Share materials