Russia's barbaric shelling of a historic synagogue in Kyiv's Podil district: unique stained-glass windows damaged

On the night of 23 October 2025, Russian kamikaze drones struck the Podil district of Kyiv, damaging the walls and interior of the historic synagogue on Shchekavytska Street.

The synagogue was damaged by Russian invaders 130 years after its construction in 1895. It was the only synagogue in Kyiv that remained open even under communist rule.

Knowing that the synagogue had unique stained-glass windows depicting Jewish religious scenes, I immediately contacted the man who made them — Prof. Yevhen Kotliar, head of the Department of Monumental Art at the Kharkiv National Academy of Design and Arts and corresponding member of Ukraine's National Academy of Arts.

"I got a call from the synagogue saying that the stained-glass windows had also been damaged. Not critically, but they needed restoration. We did a good job on them at the time, using a double-T lead profile. It allows individual panes of glass to be removed and replaced. Because it is 'living' glass (glass mosaic technique), the shock wave could pass through the gaps. Apparently, the shock wave went deep into the courtyard, severely damaging the side windows and doors of the synagogue," said Prof. Kotliar.

On the afternoon of 23 October, he rushed to the synagogue to inspect the damage. The Star of David was severely damaged at the top of one stained-glass window.

"I can tentatively say that the corrugated glass we placed under the stained glass to enhance the lighting effect has been completely shattered. On the one hand, it could have absorbed the main impact of the blast wave, while on the other, it could have mechanically damaged the stained glass," Prof. Kotliar explained. He worked on these stained-glass windows throughout 2002. When the freshly decorated synagogue opened in May 2003, Prof. Kotliar received a personalized medal for his restoration work.

It was Ukraine's first synagogue to use large stained-glass decorations produced by an individual artist. Their size and quality underscored this synagogue's role as the place of residence and prayer of the Chief Rabbi of Ukraine.

Prof. Kotliar is currently preparing an exhibition of synagogue art from Ukraine's Bukovina region set to open in Cologne, Germany, in November 2025.

"While we are developing strategies to preserve Jewish heritage in Ukraine, Russian missiles continue to barbarically and mercilessly destroy monuments of our culture," he says with a pained expression. "As an author and artist, I am outraged at and hurt by the damage done to my stained-glass windows."

Prof. Kotliar is confident that all the decorations will be restored, but this will only happen after major repairs of the damaged synagogue building are completed.

Text: Shimon Briman (Israel).
Photos: Yevhen Kotliar's personal archive.