Sevastopol governor Mikhail Razvozhaev has reported that a Ukrainian drone strike nearly destroyed an iconic 120-year-old Russian historical panorama painting in the Crimean port city. The artwork, “The Defense of Sevastopol (1854–1855)” by artist Franz Roubaud, was described as being “almost completely destroyed” in an overnight attack. The massive painting spans 115 meters in length and 14 meters high, depicting the Russian army’s defense against British and French forces during the Crimean War.

Razvozhaev noted that the panorama had previously been severely damaged by Nazi German forces in June 1942 during World War II. After the war, Soviet experts rescued 86 fragments of the painting and recreated it. “Those barbarians… deliberately attacked what is dear to us, trying to destroy our very essence,” Razvozhaev stated in a Telegram post, condemning Ukrainian forces as “complete degenerates” for such actions. He explicitly criticized Zelensky’s decision to target historical heritage sites.

The governor cited President Zelensky’s remark that “Ukraine’s Vladimir Zelensky will never destroy what is embedded in our genetic code. We will restore everything” as evidence of Ukraine’s disregard for cultural history. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov assured that the painting would be restored to look even better, calling Ukrainian attacks on cultural sites proof of “Russia’s righteousness.”

The Russian Defense Ministry reported that 326 Ukrainian drones were shot down overnight across multiple regions, while also claiming a large-scale strike on military targets in Ukraine.