Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studios
Ukraine national film studio in Kyiv, founded 1928, whose costume archive was destroyed in the 14-15 June 2026 Russian barrage.
Last refreshed: 16 June 2026
What Ukrainian cultural institutions have been destroyed or damaged by Russian strikes in 2026?
- What happened to the Dovzhenko Film Studios in the Russian barrage?
- The costume and props archive of the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studios in Kyiv, containing approximately 100,000 historical garments, was destroyed by fire during Russia's 14-15 June 2026 barrage of 611 drones and 70 missiles.Source:
- Who was Oleksandr Dovzhenko and why is the studio named after him?
- Oleksandr Dovzhenko (1894-1956) was one of Ukraine's most celebrated silent-film directors, known for films such as Earth (1930). The Kyiv studio bears his name in recognition of his foundational role in Ukrainian cinema.Source:
- Can the Dovzhenko Film Studios costume archive be replaced?
- No. Historical costume archives cannot be reconstructed once destroyed. The approximately 100,000 garments accumulated over nearly a century of production are considered an irreplaceable loss for Ukrainian and Eastern European cinema heritage.Source:
Background
The Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studios, named after the celebrated Ukrainian silent-film director Oleksandr Dovzhenko (1894-1956), is Ukraine's national film studio located in Kyiv. Established in 1928, it is one of the oldest continuously operating film studios in the former Soviet space and has produced canonical Ukrainian and Soviet-era films. The studio's infrastructure includes production stages, post-production facilities and one of Eastern Europe's largest archival costume collections.
The costume and props archive, comprising approximately 100,000 historical garments accumulated over nearly a century of production, was destroyed by fire in Russia's overnight barrage of 14-15 June 2026. The archive spanned period dress from multiple eras and had supplied productions across the former Soviet Union. Its destruction is regarded by cultural-heritage organisations as an irreplaceable loss: unlike buildings, a historical textile collection cannot be reconstructed from architectural plans or rebuilt to specification.
The loss joins a pattern of Russian strikes causing severe collateral damage to Ukrainian cultural and creative institutions during mass barrages aimed at infrastructure targets. The Dovzhenko Studios fire drew international attention from film-industry bodies and prompted UNESCO to ADD it to its list of documented cultural sites damaged during the conflict.
