If the name Vinnytsia sounds familiar, probably you recall the rocket attack July 14, 2022 when three cruise missiles, each powerful enough to destroy an aircraft carrier, struck at city center. These first three photos show some of the damage caused by that attack.
The first photo is a view across Victory Square, an area in the very center of Vinnytsia city. It was taken just after the first missile hit, damaging the front of the nine-story Yuvileyny office building. Notice the building just barely visible along the left edge. The second photo is an aerial view of the damage to that building, which was used as a concert hall.
The third photo is of the final condition of the Yuvileyny office building, after the third missile strike. Twenty-eight people, including three children, were killed in this attack, which has been labeled a war crime by E.U. officials.
Let’s go back in time to before the war began and tour Vinnytsia, a city located on the Southern Bug River (The same river as the location for Mykolaiv but much further north.) Before the war Vinnytsia had a population of a little over 370,000, with a metro area population of better than 660,000. It’s the administrative head of both Vinnytsia Oblast and Vinnytsia Raion.
Pictured above is the building in which the Regional Council of Vinnytsia Oblast meets. In the next photo, of a typical street scene, you can see part of the same building about a block away down the main street, Soborna Street.
The photo just below this paragraph is of a different part of Soborna Street. The blue tram is one of many that can take you all over the city. The building with the bright green roof was built as a secondary school in 1890 and now houses the Vinnytsya branch of the Trade and Economic National University.
Vinnytsia is a sprawling city with many different districts, each with its own flavor. The above photo is of a church in the Zamostyans’ky district, along the river. The tall modern buildings beyond the church contrast dramatically with the brightly colored church towers.
The next photo is of the Vinnytsia State Academic Music and Drama Theater. The theater is 107 years old, although the current building was reconstructed beginning in 1945 after the retreating German army burned most of it.
The next building is one we have seen before in a badly damaged condition after the missile strike. This is the Officers’ House, a venue for mass events and the largest facility for concerts in the city and region. It has been rebuilt many times since its first version, built in 1919 as a social club for the military garrison. Its latest overhaul was in 2009, when it was enlarged to accommodate almost 1,000 spectators in its auditorium. In April 2022, the Officers’ House was decorated with ten posters of Ukrainian hero cities, that is, the cities that have suffered the most in the war, including Volnovakha, Kherson, Mykolaiv, Kharkiv, Chernihiv, Mariupol, Okhtyrka, Irpin, Gostomel and Bucha.
Although it is a dense urban environment, Vinnytsia also has many green areas. One of the most beautiful is Pyatnychansky Park, but there are many others. One of those is Leontovych Central Park, formerly named for Gorky, a large area with walking paths and sports facilities.
Many universities, research institutes, and the Regional Universal Scientific Library are located in Vinnytsia. The next two photos are of the State Pedagogical University, where teachers are trained, and of the Medical University. Besides these two, the Trade and Economics Institute, National Technical University, Institute of Economics and Social Sciences, and many more educational institutions are located in the city; and, until peace returns, the Donetsk National University, which was evacuated from Donetsk in 2014.
The old water tower was built in 1912 when the city water pipe system was installed. It also served as a fire observation tower. Now it is the War Veterans Museum, and we can see the entire city of Vinnytsia from its top. Let’s start climbing, it’s worth it for the views.
The last two photos are views out two of the windows in the top of the Water Tower. Looking back toward Vinnytsia, you can see the skyline of the taller buildings spread all across the horizon. And, look! There is some kind of street fair in the square. Maybe they have some snacks for sale!
I’ve added a couple of links, in case you want to learn more about Vinnytsia. The main article has a lot more photos, and tells about the long history of Vinnytsia. It also describes some of the interesting corporations located there, including a large confectionary and a diamond polishing corporation. The other link describes the missile attack in detail. Oh, and there’s also a link back to the “Cities Before” page, so that you can explore another city.
Links
Return to the “Cities Before” page link: Click Here. Cities Before index page, with button to go to the map.
Vinnytsia article in Wikipedia link: Click Here. Extensive article about Vinnytsia including history of the area from the Middle Ages through its years under Polosh and then Russian control, and through the massacres of Stalin’s purges followed by the Nazi occupation. Many more photos of the city.
Vinnytsia Missile Strikes article in Wikipedia link: Click Here. Detailed article about the eight-missile strike on the airport and several other infrastructure strikes (March 2022) and the 3-missile attack on city centre (July 2022). Dramatic photos of all these attacks made using precision Kalibr missiles, so presumably purposely targeting civilians.
Photo Credits
The photo credits are listed in the order the photos appear in the post.
Vinnytsia_after_Russian_shelling,_2022-07-14_(01).jpg by thor-State Emergency Service of Ukraine [Dsns.gov.ua](CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 7-14-22 English: Vinnytsia city (Ukraine) after Russian shelling on 14 July 2022. At 10:45 a parking lot near the nine-story Yuvileyny Building was hit. Українська: Місто Вінниця (Україна) після російського обстрілу 14 липня 2022 року. В 10:45 сталося влучання на паркувальний майданчик поблизу дев’ятиповерхового Будинку побуту «Ювілейний». Via Wikimedia Commons.
Робоча поїздка заступника керівника Офісу Президента до Вінниці 05.jpg by PRESIDENT OF UKRAINE VOLODYMYR ZELENSKYY Official website (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 7-16-22 English: Working trip of the Deputy Head of the Office of the President [Kyrylo Tymoshenko] to Vinnytsia. [This building is the concert hall ‘Officers’ House’.] Via President of Ukraine Official Website, https://www.president.gov.ua/en/ .
Vinnytsia missile strike, 2022.07.14, 20.00 SESU report.jpg by State Emergency Service of Ukraine (https://dsns.gov.ua) (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 7-14-22 Vinnytsia missile strike. [This is the Yuvileinyi’ office building after being struck by a cruise missile.] Via Wikimedia Commonsю
Vinnytsia_on_the_banks_of_Southern_Bug.jpg by Shyam peelery (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 10-2-20 English: Vinnytsia on the banks of Southern Bug via Wikimedia Commons.
Винница._Областная_Рада.jpg by Boris Mavlyutov (CC BY-SA 3.0) 1-6-11 The building of the Regional Council [of Vinnytsia Oblast]. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Vinnytsia, Soborna St 02.jpg by Shyam peelery (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 9-28-20 English: Vinnytsia city, Soborna St via Wikimedia Commons.
Lenins’kyi_District,_Vinnytsia,_Vinnyts’ka_oblast,_Ukraine_-_panoramio_(6).jpg by Eugene Yakovenko (CC BY-SA 3.0) 8-21-13 Lenins’kyi District, Vinnytsia, Vinnyts’ka oblast, Ukraine via Wikimedia Commons.
Zamostyans’kyi_district,_Vinnytsia,_Vinnyts’ka_oblast,_Ukraine_-_panoramio_(4).jpg by Eugene Yakovenko (CC BY-SA 3.0) 8-21-13 Zamostyans’kyi district, Vinnytsia, Vinnyts’ka oblast, Ukraine via Wikimedia Commons.
Vinnytsia-theatre.jpg by Håkan Henriksson (CC BY 3.0) 5-3-06 Dramatical theatre in Vinnytsia, Ukraine via Wikimedia Commons.
Officer_House_in_Vinnytsia.jpg by Igor Turzh (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 1-28-17 English: Officer House in Vinnytsia via Wikimedia Commons.
М._Вінниця,_вул._Мічуріна_32,_П’ятничанський_парк_02.jpg by Prymasal (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 5-7-17 Pyatnychansky Park, Vinnytsia, st. Michurina, 32 [Українська: П’ятничанський парк, м. Вінниця, вул. Мічуріна, 32]. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Vinnytsia-gorkij-park.jpg by Håkan Henriksson (CC BY 3.0) 8-17-04 The entrance to the Gorky Park in Vinnytsia, Ukraine. Via Wikimedia Commons.
Головний_корпус_Педуніверситету_DSCF5179.jpg by Posterrr (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 10-21-12 Pedu University (Main building), Vinnytsia, st. Ostrozhsky, 32/24 [Українська: Педуніверситет (Головний корпус), Вінниця, вул. Острозького, 32/24]. [Writing on building: Українська: ВІННИЦЬКИЙ ДЕРЖАВНИЙ ПЕДАГОГІЧНИЙ УНІВЕРСИТЕТ імені М. М. КОЦЮБИНСЬКОГО English: Vinnytsia State Pedagogical University, named after Mykhailo Kotsiubynsky] Via Wikimedia Commons.
Вінниця,_Медуніверситет_(Головний_корпус),_вул._Пирогова_56.jpg by Prymasal (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 10-25-15 English: Medical University (Main building), Vinnytsia, Pirogov St., 56 Українська: Медуніверситет (Головний корпус), Вінниця, вул. Пирогова, 56 via Wikimedia Commons.
Водонапірна вежа Вінниця.jpg by Eyjafjallajökull volcano (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 1-2-21 English: Water tower, Vinnytsia, str. Hrushevsky, 11 Українська: Водонапірна башта, Вінниця, вул. Грушевського, 11 via Wikimedia Commons.
View_to_Vinnytsia_city_from_Water_tower_3.jpg by Visem (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 5-14-16 English: View of Vinnytsia from the Water Tower Українська: Вид на Вінницю з Водонапірної вежі via Wikimedia Commons.
View to Vinnytsia city from Water tower 2.jpg by Visem (CC BY-SA 4.0 Int.) 5-14-16 English: View of Vinnytsia from the Water Tower Українська: Вид на Вінницю з Водонапірної вежі via Wikimedia Commons.