Kyiv's Caves Monastery has been damaged in a Russian attack. Now tens of thousands of museum artifacts are under threat – photos

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (the Monastery of the Caves) was damaged during a large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine's capital on the night of 23-24 January for the first time since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion. The last instance of destruction at the site was recorded during World War II.

Source: Ukraine's Ministry of Culture

Details: The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve has been listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site since 1990. In 2023, it was also added to the List of World Heritage in Danger and the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection.

Russia's recent large-scale attack has damaged the entrance to the Far Caves complex and parts of the façade of the Church of the Conception of St Anne. In some places, windows have been partially blown out, doors have been damaged, and parts of the plasterwork have crumbled and cracked.

An initial inspection of the sites has been carried out by staff of the national reserve together with an investigative team from the National Police of Ukraine, and a damage report has been drawn up.

"We are carefully documenting all the damage in order to move as quickly as possible to a professional assessment and repair work," said Tetiana Berezhna, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture.

Staff have so far completed a full inspection of the Far Varangian Caves, which were found to be undamaged. However, the reserve is now entirely without electricity and heating, meaning both the architectural monuments and museum exhibits are at risk due to disrupted temperature and humidity control. As a result, exhibitions at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra have been closed to prevent sharp temperature fluctuations. Tens of thousands of items are affected.

Quote from Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve: "Russia is effectively endangering both the architectural sites and the museum artefacts, especially those made of delicate materials.

These are paintings, icons, textiles, wood, and items made of paper. All these objects are at significant risk of damage, and this is a huge problem that will have to be addressed in the future through restoration measures."

More details: The lack of heating also poses a risk to the reserve's 140 monuments, as each building has its own heating system. Restarting these systems in such cold weather is both difficult and dangerous, as it could cause flooding.

In the meantime, the reserve has been supplied with generators and EcoFlow power stations by Ukraine's partners.

"Russia's actions – destroying historical sites, and cities, and cultural and religious landmarks, and creating multiple threats – raise the question of whether the aggressor state should be excluded from UNESCO altogether," Ostapenko stressed.

"Tens of thousands of exhibits are stored at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Several museums are located there, including museums of decorative art, cinema art and theatre art. The most valuable items, including unique early printed books, are kept in the treasury within the National Museum of History, where conditions are currently inadequate."

The Far Caves are the oldest part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Ostapenko said. This is where monastic life began. Prayers were said in these caves even before Kyiv officially adopted Christianity in the 10th century.

Quote from Archimandrite (Abbot) Avraamii: "Russian attacks cause pain and damage not only to our Ukrainian people, but also to sacred sites. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is an Orthodox shrine and a UNESCO heritage site. But, as we can see, the enemy stops at nothing. We must understand that they will use so-called 'prophecies', as they often say that when the last monk leaves, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra will fall into decline."

Details: Abbot Avraamii noted that there are still monks from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) living in the Lower Caves. They can hear the explosions too, but so far they have made no comments or official statements. Up to 200 people remain in the caves.

"They [the Russians] say they are protecting shrines, yet they attack them themselves. A clear example is Ukraine's east, particularly the Sviatohirsk Lavra [located in Donetsk Oblast – ed.], which has been badly damaged," Avraamii added.

Ostapenko pointed out that this is Russia's third attempt to destroy or damage the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in a century. The first occurred in 1918-19, when the Bolsheviks deliberately attacked the Lavra and killed Metropolitan Volodymyr.

The second was during World War II, when Soviet troops mined central Kyiv as they retreated. Among the sites destroyed was the Dormition Cathedral, blown up in 1941 after German forces captured the city.

"And now we are witnessing the same inhuman actions by the Moscow horde that is attempting to destroy Ukrainians and our entire cultural heritage, which is part of the world's cultural heritage," Ostapenko added.

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