By New York Post (Opinion) | Created at 2026-06-15 23:44:37 | Updated at 2026-06-16 16:42:49
17 hours ago
Any idiots buying Vladimir Putin’s claim to be a defender of Christian civilization should note his war on Ukraine’s soul: His invasion has targeted more than 1,700 religious and cultural heritage sites.
The latest Russian missile attack set fire to the 11th-century Orthodox Dormition Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, savaging a sacred space also central to Russian Orthodox heritage.
The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine condemned Putin’s attack as another Russian crime “against humanity, against history, against Christianity.”
Indeed, on top of his constant attacks on purely civilian areas and his mass kidnapping of children, Putin’s systematic targeting of museums, churches and libraries is a war crime, as the 1954 Hague Convention explicitly protects such treasures.
Among the Russian’s crimes against civilization:
- Korolenko Kharkiv State Scientific Library — one of Europe’s largest libraries, almost completely destroyed by Russian shelling.
- The Cathedral of the Transfiguration — a neoclassicist marvel in Odessa (with some eclecticist features), badly damaged in a major 2023 strike.
- Mariupol Drama Theater — bombed to pieces early in the war while serving as a civilian bomb shelter; Putin’s forces leveled virtually the entire historic district.
Putin has proved himself even more uncultured than the Nazis, who stole art from across Europe: His forces do far more senseless destruction than mere looting.
Heroic Ukrainians are now reversing the gains of Putin’s war machine and pushing Russia’s teetering economy to the brink.
As Vlad’s invasion collapses in failure, don’t be surprised if the vengeful monster looks to destroy as much of Ukraine’s heritage as he can.
