At 5 a.m. on May 24, employees at Kyiv’s Chernobyl Museum reported hearing a thud from what was identified as an Iskander missile. The missile struck the museum, which had reopened to the public just four weeks prior. The missile is estimated to have cost around $2.4 million. Museum director Vitalina Martynovska stated that staff arrived shortly after the strike and began evacuation efforts after receiving permission from firefighters and explosives experts. Despite challenges, they managed to save approximately 23,000 artifacts before being ordered to evacuate due to structural instability in the building.
The Chernobyl Museum preserved important historical records related to the 1986 nuclear disaster, which had significant implications for Europe and the Soviet Union. The museum contained documents, photographs, and personal effects that illustrated the event and its aftermath. The fire continued until early afternoon, and debris removal took place over the following six days.
Martynovska speculated on the reasons for the attack, noting that Russia has targeted civilian and cultural sites throughout the war. Some museum officials believe the museum was targeted due to its collection of documents revealing Soviet knowledge of safety issues prior to the disaster. The attack represents not only physical destruction but also a loss of historical memory. The museum's future remains uncertain as engineers assess the building's condition for potential rebuilding or demolition.