In Lavra Reserve, storage facilities flooded due to heating system burst

National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra". Photo: EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO

On February 12, 2026, an emergency situation occurred at the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra", where as a result of a heating system accident, premises with museum collections were flooded. This is reported by LIGA.net.

According to the department's information, the incident occurred on February 5 in building No. 6 – an architectural monument of local significance "Cells of Clerics." In the attic space, as the result of the water heating system burst, water flooded the premises on the first and second floors, where exhibits from the "Negatives," "Graphics," and "Painting" collections are stored.

About 4,000 museum objects were at risk. The main water flow hit the external surfaces of cabinets, and local plaster crumbling was also recorded without damage to load-bearing structures. After the accident, humidity levels reached 90% on the second floor and up to 69% on the first floor at a temperature of about +4.5°C, which creates a threat to the preservation of collections.

The Ministry of Culture reported that the Reserve is conducting a complex of measures to eliminate the consequences. Emergency drying of premises is organized with the involvement of additional equipment, wet objects are temporarily moved to safe zones, and restorers and curators are conducting object-by-object inspections to assess damage and the need for conservation work.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Ukraine will mark the 100th anniversary of Bolsheviks' destruction of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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