Rivne Regional Military Administration requests closing Tarakaniv Fort to public and its inclusion in State Register of Immovable Landmarks

Rivne Regional Military Administration is requesting that the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine urgently close access to Tarakaniv Fort for visitors and carry out emergency repairs, while calling on the Ministry of Culture to include the site in the State Register of Immovable Landmarks of Ukraine.

"Due to the emergency situation at Tarakaniv Fort involving a casemate collapse, Rivne Regional Military Administration, in a letter dated April 15, 2026, appealed to the Ministry of Defense and the Housing and Maintenance Department of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, which holds the landmark on its balance sheet, to urgently close access to visitors and conduct appropriate emergency response works," the administration stated in response to an inquiry from Interfax-Ukraine.

The administration also reported that to ensure proper preservation, the region asked the Ministry of Culture to list the fort in the State Register as an architectural landmark of local significance. Future operation and conservation regimes will be determined following a government decision.

According to the administration, the fort in Tarakaniv, Dubno district, is owned by the Ministry of Defense as part of military camp No. 13, situated on a 63.9-hectare plot. The Regional State Administration previously sought to transfer the entire complex to the joint ownership of local communities.

In response, the Ministry of Defense proposed splitting the land into two plots—58.49 hectares and 5.41 hectares—transferring only the latter to regional communal ownership, as the larger portion remains in use for military needs.

The administration noted that the Rivne Region Development Strategy through 2027 does not currently include regional tourism infrastructure projects or funding for developing Tarakaniv Fort.

Dubno Fort, also known as Tarakaniv Fort, is a 19th-century architectural landmark located near the village of Tarakaniv. Recently, a section of the Central Barracks within the fort collapsed.

In October 2019, then-head of the Regional State Administration Vitaliy Koval described the fort as a "powerful tourist magnet" lacking proper care. He stated then that the Ministry of Defense was ready to transfer the fort and 8.68 hectares for tourist infrastructure. By May 2020, an agreement was reached for a 5.4-hectare transfer. In October 2020, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy promised to assist with the transfer and pledged to include the fort in the 2021 Great Restoration program.