Kharkiv residents described Monday night’s Russian attack on the city’s historic Derzhprom building as “pure terror" and a deliberate act of cultural vandalism against a symbol of Ukrainian resistance.
Shortly after 9 p.m., a Russian bomb struck the Constructivist building, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Nine people were injured. The skyscraper, completed in 1928, suffered extensive damage. Another strike into the city early Tuesday left four people dead.
Area of building damage following Russian attack Photo: Alessio Mamo/The Guardian Rescue workers at a building in Derzhprom after the attack. Photo: Alessio Mamo/Guardian”They are monsters without civilized values. The Russians will bring hell,” Denis Bodanov said while surveying the damage. The powerful FAB-500 bomb hit a third-floor office, cutting through a corner of the building and exposing the zigzag staircase inside.
The windows were blown out. On Tuesday, rescuers dumped broken upper-floor glass and door frames into the courtyard below. Trucks and excavators scooped up the rubble. Many of the rooms inside were in disrepair, with warped ceilings and walls and thick dust.
Rescue worker and historian Denis Bodanov took a photo outside the building on Tuesday. Photo: Alessio Mamo/GuardianDerzhiprom was designed to demonstrate Soviet innovation and belief in the future. It was built when Kharkiv served as the capital of communist Ukraine. It survived World War II and became a government agency after Ukraine became independent.
Kharkiv Mayor Ihor Terekhov called the concrete structure an architectural treasure for all of Ukraine. He said the Kremlin attack was “really scary to watch.” “If you look back at World War II, even Hitler couldn’t do what the Russians did,” he added.
President Volodomyr Zelenskiy said Derzhprom was “severely damaged” on the night of several attacks by Russia, including on the president’s hometown of Krivy Rikh city. Zelensky implicitly criticized UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who met with President Vladimir Putin at the BRICS summit in the Russian city of Kazan last week.
“Every time we shake hands with the war criminal Putin, his confidence increases. Every time we see a pleasant smile, we are convinced that he can get away with his crimes. We must force him to peace with our collective determination,” President Zelenskyy posted on X.
The Derzhprom building before it was bombed. Photo: Ed Lamb/GuardianFurthermore, he added: “Appeasement never brings peace; it merely whets the appetite of the aggressor…Adherence to common principles saves lives and cultural heritage; compromising them brings death and destruction. ”
Russian airstrikes severely damaged Kharkiv’s Derzhprom, one of the world’s most famous Constructivist buildings, which is under UNESCO’s interim enhanced protection.
In Krivy Rikh, a Russian missile hit a house and caused a fire. Many other cities in Ukraine and… pic.twitter.com/OfWnTAEtze
— Volodymyr Zelensky / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) October 28, 2024
The blast destroyed several contemporary paintings on display on the first floor. Curator Oleksandr Afanasyev said the offices most affected belonged to Kharkiv’s local administration and court. “Of course it is possible to rebuild, but it will take time and resources,” he pointed out.
The injured included a police officer and a female security guard who was inside the building when the strike occurred. On Tuesday, workers brought in plywood to board up the windows, making their way down the nearly 100-year-old steep staircase. The elevator stopped working. On the street outside, men were repairing damaged cafes and shops.
Kharkiv has been under continuous attack since the start of a full-scale Russian invasion in 2022. After failing to capture the city, Russian forces attacked the city center and suburbs with artillery and ballistic missiles. In recent months, Russian warplanes have dropped hundreds of aerial bombs.
Rescue workers inside the building in Derziprom on Tuesday. Photo: Alessio Mamo/Guardian
Derzhprom is located in the cobbled Freedom Square in the center of Kharkiv. Previous attacks have attacked neighboring buildings, including the regional government, the headquarters of the SBU security forces, and the five-star Palace Hotel in Kharkiv, leaving journalists injured.
Residents said the latest bombing was another painful blow. “I feel so deep and pure fear that I can’t stand it. This is my favorite building in the world of Efin. For all local residents of Kharkiv, it is a symbol of freedom and ingenuity.”Kharkov said Victoria Grivina, author and doctoral candidate.
Bodanov, a historian turned rescue worker, said Russia’s aggression against Ukraine was the product of long-standing jealousies and an “empire complex.” “They’ve been like this for centuries,” he said. “They hate us because we live better than them. They are fools. Even the Nazis did not try to wipe out Derziprom.”
Some say the building embodies Kharkiv’s stubborn resistance to Russia’s persistent and brutal takeover attempts. Security expert Maria Avdeyeva pointed out that Derzhprom is the world’s largest Constructivist monument still in existence. “This is an implementation of Russia’s strategy of terror and intimidation,” she said.
Avdeyeva said Ukraine is vulnerable to relentless air attacks because the Biden administration, like Britain and France, has refused permission to use Western weapons in Kiev against military targets deep in Russia. expressed dissatisfaction. She noted that Mr. Derziprom’s UNESCO protected status “did not work.”
