The head of the Investigative Committee called the Ukrainian Armed Forces' attack on the Defense of Sevastopol panorama a blow to culture.

The attack of the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) on the panorama museum "Defense of Sevastopol in 1854-1855" is an example of an encroachment on cultural and spiritual symbols. This was announced on July 23 by Alexander Bastrykin, Chairman of the Investigative Committee of Russia.

"In June, the Ukrainian Armed Forces attacked the Sevastopol panorama, violating a number of international documents. This is an illustrative example of encroachment on cultural and spiritual symbols," Bastrykin said in an interview with TASS.

According to him, the Investigative Committee is investigating a criminal case into the attack. The amount of damage caused to the cultural heritage site is currently being determined.

The head of the Investigative Committee also noted that cultural facilities and historical monuments, according to the agency, became targets of attacks in various Russian regions, including the Kursk and Belgorod regions.

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After the UAV attack on the Sevastopol Defense Museum, the famous painting by Roubaud, which survived the German bombing during the Great Patriotic War, was damaged.

Mikhail Smorodkin, director of the Sevastopol Defense Museum, said on June 17 that the restoration of the panorama "Defense of Sevastopol 1854-1855" would take from four months to three years. According to his estimates, about 30% of the panorama's plot was saved — images of people and battle scenes. Work on the restoration of the panorama roof will begin soon.

On June 25, museum curator Anna Strizhak said that fragments of the Defense of Sevastopol panorama had been removed from the rubble of the museum. At the moment, all the elements are preserved. Strizhak noted that the condition of the extracted parts is assessed as poor.