Kharkiv-based independent online magazine Lyuk has released the documentary ‘How Kharkiv Is Losing Its Architecture’. The film explores the importance of the city’s architectural landscape, the ongoing destruction of its built heritage, and possible ways to preserve it
The editorial team says that preserving and restoring Kharkiv’s architectural heritage has become a critical issue for the city’s residents amid the ongoing destruction caused by Russia’s full-scale invasion.
However, the filmmakers emphasize that Kharkiv’s historic buildings are being destroyed not only by Russian attacks. The process has been unfolding for years, driven by uncontrolled development, corruption, institutional inaction, and the lack of a long-term strategy for preserving the city’s architectural heritage.
The documentary also highlights approaches to responsible heritage preservation and introduces the people already working to restore and protect the city’s architectural landscape.
‘At the same time, this documentary isn’t solely about destruction or hopelessness. We wanted to feature the people who are already changing the situation: those who research the city, restore buildings, engage with the urban environment, create new approaches to reconstruction, and remind us that these are not just walls’, Kateryna Pereverzeva, the film’s director and editor-in-chief of Lyuk, says.
The film features architect and restoration specialist Viktor Dvornikov, architect Olha Kleitman, who led the reconstruction of Sarzhyn Yar, Alter Development CEO Taras Doronin, Kharkiv Anti-Corruption Center economist and analyst Yevhen Lisichkin, as well as other researchers and residents of the city.
Other projects by Lyuk
Since its founding in 2015, Lyuk has been exploring Kharkiv, its identity, and its local culture.
Back in 2018, Lyuk teamed up with the Nakypilo platform to roll out ‘Under:Kha’, an audio podcast focusing on urban culture.
In 2023, the editorial team published its first print magazine, ‘Kharkiv, Where Is Your Face?’ The name directly nods to Lyuk’s early 2023 project of the same title, which took a deep dive into the city’s history and the forced impact of Russian assimilation on its cultural identity.
In 2025, the Lyuk team released the short documentary ‘Why We Are So Stubborn’, dedicated to Kharkiv’s resilience and the city’s unique cultural identity.
Later that year, Lyuk, in collaboration with the UA-Travels project, released the podcast ‘Women of Eastern Ukraine Speak’, exploring the role of women in Eastern Ukraine throughout the 20th century.
