Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine Olena Kondratiuk has called on UNESCO member states to exclude Russia from the organization.
"I call on UNESCO member states to publicly condemn the attack on the Lavra and initiate an emergency consideration of the issue of Russia’s responsibility for the systematic destruction of world heritage sites. Russia’s presence in the organization, whose mandate is to protect the cultural heritage of humanity, has become an absurdity. Member states must call it by its name and draw appropriate conclusions: namely, to exclude Russia from the organization," Kondratiuk said on Facebook on Monday.
She reported that she visited the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra today.
"What I saw is not the consequence of an accidental hit," Kondratiuk noted.
According to her, a direct hit by a UAV occurred in the altar part of the Assumption Cathedral – the Stefanivsky side-altar.
"The exterior and interior of the cathedral, as well as adjacent buildings, were damaged. On the territory of the Lavra, the Treasury of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, the Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine, the National Historical Library of Ukraine, the National Academy of Culture and Arts Management, and the depository of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine also suffered. Windows and doors were damaged in the buildings," the MP noted.
She emphasized that after the fire and its localization, the paintings, frescoes, and iconostasis, which constitute not only church but also national value, are under threat.
