Russia hits art museum in downtown Kharkiv in Ukraine: First details emerged
Russian troops launched a drone strike on the Kharkiv city art museum on June 14 (photo: Getty Images)
Russia hit the Kharkiv Art Museum in Ukraine with a drone on Saturday, June 14. Due to the risk of damage or destruction of the exhibits, cultural valuables were urgently evacuated to a shelter, Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov reports.
Strike aftermath, efforts to save artworks
The mayor says there are no injuries following the Russian drone strike.
However, several people sought medical assistance due to acute stress reactions.
To protect the museum's exhibits, specialists from the Department of Emergency Situations, together with rescue workers, quickly moved the paintings into storage.
Russians struck #Kharkiv #Art #Museum with a drone on June 14. Exhibits were urgently evacuated to the shelter pic.twitter.com/gfWzPuD8t1
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) June 14, 2026
"These are valuables that we must preserve. There is a risk that some exhibits could burn or be flooded during firefighting efforts. That's why we had to evacuate them," Terekhov noted.
#Kharkiv Mayor Ihor #Terekhov comments on the #Russian #drone #strike on the city #art #museum pic.twitter.com/AGZW4b8dw8
— RBC-Ukraine (@NewsUkraineRBC) June 14, 2026
Previous attacks on Kharkiv city and region
Ukraine's Kharkiv and nearby communities have been repeatedly targeted by large-scale Russian drone and missile attacks aimed at residential areas and infrastructure.
In particular, on the morning of June 10, Russian forces carried out another attack during which a drone struck a high-rise apartment building in the city's Industrialnyi district, causing a fire and injuring three people.
Earlier, during the night of June 9–10, Russia launched around 30 drone strikes on the Kholodnohirskyi and Kyivskyi districts of Kharkiv, leaving five civilians injured, most of them elderly.
In addition, during the night of June 8–9, a series of enemy drone strikes was recorded across the region. Authorities confirmed 11 strikes in the regional capital targeting residential buildings, businesses, and stores, while in neighboring Chuhuiv city, five people were killed in a missile attack.
Also, on the night of June 7–8, a Russian drone struck a logistics company depot in Kharkiv city, destroying the terminal roof and damaging hundreds of parcels.
