Odesa Literary Museum damaged by Russian strike

On January 31, 2025, a branch of the Odesa Literary Museum was damaged as a result of Russian ballistic missile strike on the city downtown, as reported by Odesa Mayor Gennadiy Trukhanov. Russian missile strikes on Odesa’s historic center damaged about 15 cultural landmarks, including UNESCO-listed sites.

“On January 31, 2025, the historic center of Odesa that is on the list of UNESCO World Heritage objects became another target of a missile attack,” Trukhanov wrote.

According to Trukhanov, the Museum of Foreign Writers in Odesa at 13 Italiyska Street was damaged by the strike. The Chytomo team contacted representatives of the museum for more information on the damage.

The Museum of Foreign Writers in Odesa is a branch of the Odesa Literary Museum. Before its reorganization in December 2023, the museum was known as the Oleksandr Pushkin Literary Memorial Museum.

The shelling also damaged about 15 architectural monuments, including the Bristol Hotel, the Museum of Western and Eastern Art, and the Odesa Philharmonic Theater (former New Stock Exchange).

“The most valuable building among those damaged by the strike in terms of architecture and social significance is the philharmonic hall. The blast wave damaged the stained glass windows and amazing interior decoration. The impact of the attack on the main structures will be assessed by experts after an additional inspection,” Trukhanov commented.

Stained-glass windows and authentic carpentry of large windows in the buildings of the Union of Architects of Ukraine and Porto Franco Bank were also significantly damaged.

As reported earlier, seven people have been injured.

RELATED: National Writers’ Union of Ukraine premises damaged by Russian strike on Kyiv

Copy editing: Joy Tataryn