Lviv Rebuilds Roman Shukhevych Museum Destroyed in Russian Drone Strike
In Lviv, a museum honoring Roman Shukhevych, a Ukrainian nationalist from WWII, is undergoing reconstruction following its destruction by a Russian drone strike on 1 January 2024. The initiative is spearheaded by Lviv city officials in collaboration with the NGO New Museum. Born in 1907 in Lviv, Shukhevych remains a divisive figure, facing accusations of war crimes. However, Olha Honchar, the founder of New Museum, views him as a pivotal character in Ukraine’s quest for independence. The original museum, established in 2001 at the site of Shukhevych’s death in 1950, is currently being redesigned. Andriy Lesyuk won the redesign competition but withdrew in March 2026. Construction is in progress, with a possible opening date set for 5 March 2027, funded by private donations.
Key facts
- The Roman Shukhevych museum in Lviv was destroyed by a Russian drone strike on 1 January 2024.
- The museum is being rebuilt by the city of Lviv and the NGO New Museum.
- Shukhevych was a Second World War Ukrainian nationalist partisan who fought for Ukrainian independence.
- Russia and Poland accuse Shukhevych of war crimes as a Nazi collaborator; Polish historians link his battalion to anti-Jewish pogroms and ethnic cleansing of Poles.
- The original museum opened in 2001 as a branch of the Lviv Museum of History, at the site where Shukhevych was killed in 1950.
- Most artefacts were evacuated before the strike, and a monument to Shukhevych survived.
- Architect Andriy Lesyuk and Guess Line Architects won the redesign competition but withdrew in March 2026.
- Yevhen Boyko said construction is proceeding and the museum may open on 5 March 2027.
- Unesco has confirmed damage to 545 cultural sites in Ukraine as of 29 July 2026.
Entities
Artists
- Roman Shukhevych
- Olha Honchar
- Andriy Lesyuk
- Yevhen Boyko
Institutions
- New Museum
- Lviv Museum of History
- Territory of Terror Memorial Museum
- Guess Line Architects
- Lviv City Council
- Unesco
- The Art Newspaper
Locations
- Lviv
- Ukraine
- Russia
- Poland
- Lemburg
- Lwow
- Soviet Union
- Austro-Hungarian Empire
- Kingdom of Poland
- Nazi Germany