Russian Strike Destroys National Chornobyl Museum in Kyiv

A Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv in the early hours of May 24, 2026 struck the newly renovated Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum, which President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said was 'effectively destroyed.' The strike damaged the museum's historic building and its roughly 1,350-piece collection, though crews rescued about 40% of the collection from storage, including a painting by folk artist Maria Prymachenko and the Ukrainian flag raised at Chernobyl after Russian troops withdrew in 2022. The same overnight barrage on Kyiv also damaged the National Art Museum and other cultural sites, killed 2 people and injured 69 across the capital. Zelenskyy visited the museum site afterward to inspect the damage.