Russia Shells Odesa National Fine Arts Museum on Its 124th Anniversary

On the night of November 6, 2023, Russia carried out another missile attack on Ukraine. As a result, the building of the Odessa National Fine Arts Museum (ONFAM) was damaged. Russian missile hit the road in front of the museum, which is located in the UNESCO World Heritage Site, according to Oleg Kiper, the head of the Odesa Regional Military Administration.

November 6 was the day when ONFAM was supposed to celebrate its 124th anniversary. Now, all the festive events and the Free Entrance Day have been canceled, and the museum's team is focused on documenting the damages and dealing with the consequences of the attack. According to Oleg Kiper, the building's walls are damaged, windows and glass are shattered.

«We are very relieved that there are no casualties and that there is such a strong sense of community. There is no need to come to the museum tomorrow, as the process of assessing the damage, documenting the impact, and investigative actions are ongoing. Everything must remain untouched,» said ONFAM team.

The museum also announced that due to the damages, they will no longer be able to exhibit the following works:

— Margit and Roman Sielsky «Sol occidens» from Eduard Dymshits's collection;

— Borys Aizenberg's «Flowers by the Slagheaps»;

— Stas Zhalobnyuk's «Black Sea»;

— Volodymyr Semkiv's «Joy»;

— Albina Yaloza's «Altar of the Heavenly Host»;

— Kinder Album's «Great Meadows, Lush Grasses»;

— and works by Olexandr Grekhov.

The damage to the exhibits is minor, said the director of the museum, Kateryna Kulai. Damage assessment requires the participation of the UNESCO commission, which has already condemned the attack.

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