Ukrainian museums have moved their exhibits to other locations in the country to protect the cultural assets amid Russia's invasion.

A national museum in the western city of Lviv, which was established in 1905, is one of the country's largest museums. It has about 180,000 objects, including manuscripts, paintings and other artworks.

The museum started relocating its collection in February for the first time in its history, because cultural assets in many facilities had been destroyed by Russian forces.

The museum's room for Christian paintings has been emptied of all the works. The museum says it is uncertain when the exhibition can be resumed.

The director of the museum said culture is the soul of a people, and that a state exists because there is culture. The director also said having no displays is sad, but the museum is fighting to protect Ukraine's culture.

The Ukrainian government says Russian troops have committed at least 407 war crimes against the cultural heritage of Ukraine.