Wreckage of a Russian drone damages the building of the State Archives of Odesa region

The building of the State Archives of Odesa Region was damaged by a Russian drone on the night of June 10.

This was reported by the head of the State Archival Service of Ukraine , Anatoliy Khromov.

He noted that there were no casualties or loss of documents. The official also noted that as a result of the Russian attack, fragments of ammunition were found on the territory of some central archives.

"Access to the archives may be temporarily closed for users while the pyrotechnics are working," he emphasized.

The State Archives of Odesa Oblast is the main archival institution of Odesa Oblast, a structural unit of the Odesa Oblast State Administration, which is accountable to and controlled by the head of the Oblast State Administration and the State Archival Service of Ukraine. The main building of the archives at 18 Sviatoslav Karavanskyi Street is the old Brodsky synagogue, which was built in 1860 according to the design of architect Kollovych. In the 1920s, all seven existing synagogues in Odesa were closed. A Jewish club was housed in the Brodsky building. After World War II, the building was transferred to the archive.

In 2024, an international memorial and protective sign "Blue Shield " was placed on the building of the State Archives of Odesa Oblast as part of a project to preserve cultural heritage in connection with the inclusion of the historic center of Odesa in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

In August 2022, the Executive Committee of the Odesa City Council approved a list of prominent buildings and monuments in Odesa to be marked with the Blue Shield distinctive sign. However, the building on Sviatoslav Karavanskyi Street was not included.

In December 2016, the Odesa Regional Council returned the building to the Jewish religious community Chabad Shomrei Shabbos, and in 2018 the community began to register the land under the building for use.

In turn, the State Archival Service and regional authorities began looking for premises to relocate the archive.

Кирило Бойко