Because of its proximity to the front line, Kherson faces serious challenges every day: mangled building facades, destroyed locations that for decades were iconic for the townspeople. Under relentless shelling, the frontline city is no longer simply surviving — it is losing its historical face. Is it even possible to rebuild Kherson’s architecture after the war and who should be responsible for it? The MOST editorial team analyzed the city’s condition and gathered opinions from architects, authorities, and Kherson residents themselves.
The largest ruins in Kherson are located in the very heart. This is the building of the regional military administration. Kherson’s Freedom Square is known around the world; historical events took place here. In March 2022, residents massively resisted the Russian occupiers. And already in November of the same year the people of Kherson greeted Ukrainian defenders who liberated the regional center with tears in their eyes. Today Freedom Square – «wounded». In June 2025 the enemy destroyed the Regional State Administration building. Several guided aerial bombs were dropped on the “white house,” which had stood empty for a long time. What was once the city’s landmark now symbolizes a different reality in which Kherson lives. Around the clock the enemy fires on the regional center with various types of weapons. People are killed here almost every day. A significant portion of buildings are damaged, and some are completely destroyed.
The scale of destruction is most noticeable in Kherson’s historic part. Just a few months ago, due to intensive drone attacks and artillery shelling by Russian forces, this area in the Central District was classified as the city’s “red zone,” as the Dniprovskyi District once was. For safety reasons, journalists can no longer work in the historic center without a special permit, and filming is completely prohibited on streets located even relatively close to the Dnipro. This time we were able to reach at most Soborna Street, and even then moving in dashes under the constant buzzing of enemy drones.
Once Karl Marx Street, until recently Potemkinska, and today Mykhailo Hrushevskyi Street. Locals know that if you choose to move between this street and Independence Avenue, it’s better to take the latter. They say it is harder to hide from a drone on Hrushevskyi: the buildings are low, there are few trees. But our goal is to inspect how the historic center has changed, so we cautiously proceed along Hrushevskyi Street. On the right is the long-bombed and burned Arka shopping mall, below are mutilated old buildings to a greater or lesser extent. And with each walk you notice changes — these are fresh destructions. Here — a charred ruin on the corner with Preobrazhenska Street… The house burned down beyond recognition.
You don’t immediately remember what was here. A colleague points out — it was a store selling expensive decor and chandeliers. Ashes and ruins — now many buildings in Kherson’s old center look like that. Yes, in May three residential buildings on Rishelievska Street burned down at once.
That day was marked by tragedy. As a result of artillery shelling, a 22-year-old woman and a 21-year-old man sustained fatal injuries. According to eyewitnesses, a group had stepped outside for a smoke from a tattoo shop and came under fire. As a result of the “hit,” a house across the road caught fire. There were also drops from enemy drones. The fire spread to neighboring buildings. Firefighters worked on the scene, but the apartments had already burned out. Most of the houses located in the historic center are over a hundred years old. Wooden beams and reed ceilings burn completely.
Mrs. Tetyana tells the story of losing her home. The woman is 64 years old and lived for 20 years in an old house in the city center. She says that until the full-scale invasion she had made an expensive renovation. But a month and a half ago the apartment burned down.
“The strike hit the neighboring house. The fire was intense. One team of rescuers arrived. But it was hard for them to work: they extinguish here, something lights up there. The fire spread to our house. Four apartments burned out completely, from the third floor all the way down, the floor collapsed, the ceiling fell, nothing remains at all. Our apartment is not subject to restoration. We became homeless,” the woman says.
The massive fire reached the pedestrian street — Yevropeiska Street. The once iconic RockBurger Bar burned out completely. At one time it offered good music and signature cuisine. Now only walls remain at this spot; partitions and the roof have burned. The only reminder that this was a place for relaxation is the establishment’s logo — a man with a burger painted on the facade.
When it comes to buildings, almost the entire Yevropeiska Street is already mutilated, and not only it. At the end of January this year, an artillery strike burned the building with angels on Rishelievska Street. It once housed the “Kherson” restaurant, and earlier — the “Yevropeiskyi” hotel, also known as “First of May.”
The building was constructed in 1915 in the style of Romantic Modern. Inside, the former hotel burned out completely. And this is far from the only historical and architectural monument in Kherson that has been significantly mutilated by the Russian army. This spring, a restored building of the former mud-treatment health center on Katolytska Street (the non-pedestrian part of the former Suvorovska Street) was damaged in an enemy attack. Ironically, in the 2000s a Russian bank once operated here. Historians believe it was one of the most elegant structures in Kherson’s old center.
“The mud-treatment center was built by an architect of Italian origin, Antonio Svariko. By the way, back in 1997 I led a French tour group around Kherson’s center. Some of the guests said — this is a Paris-level building,” recalls historian and local lore expert Oleksa Patalakh.
How the Russians destroy the historic center is especially painful for Kherson’s long-time residents. In one of the old courtyards we meet Mrs. Yevheniia. The woman says that the city center is getting louder every day, and it is especially frightening at night.
“I have always lived in the center of Kherson. This is my native neighborhood. A few days ago, after a ‘hit,’ the house where I was born burned down. Of course, I am very sad. And regarding the state of architectural monuments — that is a whole other conversation. Practically everything we loved is being destroyed,” the woman says.
According to experts, the most mutilated part of Kherson’s historic center is the area closer to the Dnipro. Owing to the danger of drones, artillery, and remote mining, it is currently impossible to obtain a permit to film there.
“The former Greek suburb, or the Greek forstadt, suffered the most. Since this is the historic center, the richest houses once stood here. Russian forces fire here, targeting infrastructure objects — the sea and river ports or the elevator, although they have long been empty. At the same time, the occupiers destroy many historical monuments. They spare not even Orthodox churches: for example, the roof of the Hreko-Sophia Church — the oldest in Kherson, built in 1780 — was pierced,” says Oleksa Patalakh.
According to the Kherson City Military Administration, as of early June Russian shelling damaged 57 architectural monuments in the regional center, 4 of which are nationally significant. In total, about 9,000 buildings in the community have already been mutilated and destroyed. Among them are 115 critical infrastructure objects and 162 educational buildings. Nearly 900 buildings have been completely destroyed. Most of the destroyed and damaged multi-storey buildings are located in the “red zone,” namely in the Dniprovskyi District and the “Korabel” neighborhood. It is mostly the Korabel neighborhood.
Lately the enemy has been using an ever-new tactic to destroy Kherson along with its residents. Russian forces attack high-rises with drones, mostly in the same “red zone,” where it is practically impossible for firefighters to reach. Thus, at the beginning of June the enemy shelled a high-rise in the Dniprovskyi District for more than a day. Dozens of drones flew in. Six residents burned alive in the building on Tekstylnykiv Avenue. Another woman did not survive the stress from what she saw. The Russians made true hell for the building’s residents.
“We had fire extinguishers purchased with our own funds, and those provided by the city. We had hoses with which we extinguished the fire. But when you put out one apartment and another is hit nearby, and when people are cut off by flames, no prepared person can put out a building into which about 70 drones flew,” said condominium association head Olena Tryfonova.
The next morning rescuers were able to reach that high-rise. They extinguished the fire and helped people carry out surviving belongings. But on Perekopska Street, which is even closer to the Dnipro, firefighters do not go at all because of constant artillery shelling and drone attacks. Likewise, the commission that records the damage cannot work in such areas — officials say.
“At this stage we are following a clear algorithm for recording damage, establishing the nature of the damages, but again, there are locations we physically cannot reach to perform instrumental inspections in order to have a complete picture. In general, a registry is being created now, the accounting of damaged and destroyed property is underway so that later we can develop a comprehensive recovery plan, prepare projects, attract specialists for their restoration, and then work in this direction when the security situation allows,” says Kherson Deputy Mayor Vitalii Petryk.
No one knows when reconstruction in Kherson might begin. The authorities of the frontline city say: as long as hostilities continue, restoration is impossible. But there is a certain vision for reconstruction. The Japan International Cooperation Agency JICA (Jayka) is taking on the restoration of infrastructure along with a number of vital facilities. The organization actively helps many Ukrainian cities and provides equipment for Kherson’s utility workers. Japanese partners will take on the city’s reconstruction when the war ends.
“We cooperate with JICA, and we have several objects included in the overall reconstruction plan. But there is no visualization yet. Because military actions are taking place here. Regarding JICA — their projects are quite large-scale. They have already allocated funds for Kherson’s reconstruction. We have cooperation with them for emergency recovery of the city. And we have identified several priority projects. Reconstruction of the Island is among them. But you understand this is only on paper for now,” comments Oksana Pronina, director of the Department of Urban Planning, Architecture and Land Resources of the Kherson City Council.
As for the possible restoration of Kherson’s historic center — local authorities currently have no forecasts at all. Any work on buildings with the status of architectural and historical monuments, including restoration, goes through a complex procedure and a number of state institutions. Information about the destruction and damage of such objects is entered into a special registry at the level of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
Historian and local lore expert Oleksa Patalakh is convinced: the only correct path is to restore Kherson’s historic center to its pre-war appearance. He cites Warsaw as an example, which after World War II was rebuilt from ruins almost to its original state.
“The Nazis did the same in Warsaw. Moreover, they even deliberately blew up buildings in the historic center. But the Poles rebuilt them one by one after the war. Yes, they could have built many investment projects, high-rises like our Tavriiskyi or Shumenskyi neighborhoods. But they restored and reproduced what was there. We should do the same here. When the war is over, this must be restored and so-called investment projects that would simply spoil our city should not be allowed. Urbanization should not be brought in here; we must restore the old structures one to one. What the insides will be like, what the buildings will contain — that is another question,” says Patalakh.
The Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict was adopted back in 1954. The basic international agreement obliges states to safeguard cultural heritage, including architectural monuments. But like other rules during war, the aggressor country ignores this convention.
Photos by the author and from open sources.