Russian attack on Kyiv Pechersk Lavra: Timeline and duration of Assumption Cathedral restoration

Restoration of the Assumption Cathedral, damaged in a Russian drone strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on June 15, could begin in the near future.

The National Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Preserve reports that it is still calculating the damage inflicted by the Russian attack. Rescuers continue to clear the destroyed structures on the roof of the Assumption Cathedral, dismantling charred rafters and lowering pieces of copper roofing singed by fire down to the ground.

«Before making any forecasts regarding the restoration or reconstruction of the damaged roof of the cathedral, we need to assess the scale of the damage. Such an assessment is still ongoing, and rescuers are still working at the site,» the press service of the National Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Preserve told TSN.ua.

How long will restoration of the damaged cathedral take?

«The official report determines whether the building’s structural elements are damaged. From what I saw with my own eyes at the Assumption Cathedral, the structures were indeed damaged in the Russian attack. Therefore, we need to prepare scientific and design documentation for the restoration, which will also include cost estimates, and bring architect specialists onto the job. Only then will they be able to say how much the restoration will cost and how long it will take,» the department director explains.

She does not rule out that emergency stabilization and conservation work on the roof of the Assumption Cathedral can be done without scientific and design documentation—meaning the cathedral’s structure can be protected from rain and bad weather right away.

«But the actual restoration of the damaged building must take place exclusively according to scientific and design documentation,» Maryna Soloviova, Director of the Kyiv City State Administration’s Department for Cultural Heritage Protection, adds.

Usually, the development of such documentation takes quite a long time, sometimes 1–1.5 years. But the official says that considering the significance of the building, in this case, the work will be done much faster.

«If there is appropriate funding, I don’t think preparing the scientific and design documentation will take that long. Especially if an experienced architect takes on the job and everyone works very quickly and for results—then, I think, everything will be done much faster. Moreover, the state leadership, the Ministry of Culture, and the prime minister are involved in this process. If everyone works correctly, everything will happen much faster. And the damage to the cathedral will be fixed very quickly,» Maryna Soloviova concludes.

History repeats itself: what the barbarians from Moscow seek

It is worth recalling that reconstruction of the Assumption Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra began in 1998 and took two years to complete.

Prior to that, it had stood in ruins for 59 years. The shrine of global significance was destroyed in 1941 by orders from Moscow. Moreover, other cultural valuables from all over Kyiv had been brought into the cathedral before explosives were detonated, right after the Germans captured Ukraine’s capital. For years, the communists from Moscow lied, claiming that the cathedral was blown up by the Nazis.

The Assumption Cathedral was restored between 1998 and 2000 under the leadership of Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko. He repeatedly stated that the cathedral had been destroyed by barbarians, but after its reconstruction, the shrine would never be destroyed again. As we can see, the hand of the barbarians has once again reached out from Moscow to destroy the shrine, but fortunately, it only damaged its roof.