"Misappropriation and abandoned premises": Ministry of Culture continues “war” against Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve

Deputy Head of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications Serhiy Belyaev said that in 2024 alone, the state allocated 650 million hryvnias for the needs of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. These funds were to be used for the restoration of architectural monuments on the territory of the Lavra, but as of today, 21 buildings are in poor condition, 1 building is in emergency condition, and 23 architectural monuments do not have security contracts at all. The official said this in an interview with Ukrinform.

«The main thing is that the property of the reserve, ancient cathedrals and other objects that are World Heritage sites are in poor condition. Namely: 21 architectural monuments are in unsatisfactory condition, and one is in an emergency state. I will say clearly that UAH 650 million will be allocated only in 2024, when the country is at war…. Unfortunately, out of the UAH 17 million allocated by the state, UAH 6 million was used, and UAH 11 million was simply returned. Is there nothing to restore?», — Belyaev said.

He added that the protection of cultural heritage was not carried out in accordance with the funding provided by the state. Therefore, we need an “owner” who will comply with all international standards for the care of monuments, the deputy minister summarized.

Earlier, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine published a new version of the reason for the dismissal of Maksym Ostapenko from the post of General Director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. This time, the institution reported that Ostapenko abused his official authority by opening a cafe on the territory of the monastery and carrying out unauthorized repairs.