Ukrainian monument of national importance damaged again during Russian attacks – photos

Russian troops attacked the central part of Kharkiv with aerial bombs on the evening of 28 October. One hit the State Industry Building (Derzhprom), a monument of national importance. Source: Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov; Oleh Syniehubov, Head of Kharkiv Oblast Military Administration; Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia

Seven people were injured in the attack. The Prosecutor General's Office reported that about nine people had been injured.

"There have been explosions around our building before, but only the windows were damaged. Now, of course, the damage is more significant, there is a lot of damage.

We will begin to patch up the windows and cover what is damaged." said Mykola Chekhunov, Director of Derzhprom, in an interview for Suspilne Kharkiv. Details: The ceiling above the second floor of the State Industry Building has been destroyed, and one wall is now missing. The blast wave also smashed windows and part of the first floor.

"It was a 500 bomb [FAB-500 - UP.Kultura] that landed in the city centre at the Derzhprom building, which did not get destroyed by the German Nazis between 1941 and 1943 [World War II - ed.].

And now it's the Russians who are trying to destroy it," said Volodymyr Tymoshko, Head of the National Police of Kharkiv Oblast. Law enforcement officials said the attack had struck one of the entrances to the commercial court. The aircraft bomb hit one of the judges' offices.

There were also civilian buildings nearby, none of which were of military significance. The Kharkiv Prosecutor's Office has launched a pre-trial investigation into the violation of the laws and customs of war (Article 438.1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine).

Derzhprom after the Russian attack in January 2024.Photo: Oleksandr Stavytskyi/Suspilne Kharkiv

This is the second time that Russians have damaged the Derzhprom building. The first time the military attacked this facility of national importance was on 2 January 2024.

There were no casualties then, and the walls were not damaged. However, window panes and stained-glass windows were smashed, and almost the entire north-western part of the building was damaged.

Cultural heritage of Derzhprom

Earlier, on 7 September 2022, UNESCO added 20 Ukrainian cultural heritage sites to the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection. Kharkiv's Derzhprom building was among them.

The Derzhprom building.Photo: Sergiy Stepanenko

The State Industry Building, or Derzhprom, is an architectural monument in the constructivist style, created at the time of the inception of this style.

The building is the largest of this design style and the first Soviet 13-storey skyscraper built between 1925 and 1928.

Derzhprom during the Second World War.Photo: Open sources

Derzhprom is located on Kharkiv's central square, Svobody Square.

In January 2018, Ukraine's Cabinet of Ministers included Derzhprom in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine.

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