Lavra Reserve complains to UNESCO about heating and power outage

The work of the commission in the Lavra. Photo: Lavra Reserve

A joint UNESCO and ICOMOS monitoring mission has completed its work at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, reports the Lavra Reserve.

The press service statement says that during the inspection, specialists examined the Upper and Lower Lavra – from the Trinity Gate Church to the Near and Far Caves, as well as the Church of the Savior at Berestove and the adjacent buffer zone. However, specific results of the inspection are not provided in the reserve's statement.

The reserve claims that "in addition to the direct threat from missiles and drones, the monuments suffer from constant power and heating outages, which creates great risks for exhibits in storage facilities and exhibitions."

Following the results of its work, the mission will prepare an emergency response plan. At the same time, efforts are underway to engage international donors to support the functioning of the reserve, which is described as “a place that has shaped and continues to shape Ukrainian identity.”

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that, according to statements by the Ministry of Culture, 21 objects of the Kyiv-Pechersk Reserve are in emergency condition due to unsatisfactory work by its staff. In March 2025, a cross collapsed on the dome of the Church of All Saints above the Economic Gates. The reserve put forward a hypothesis that the church, which has required comprehensive restoration since the 1980s, was negatively affected by seismic vibrations from Russian missiles.

Read also