US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Spencer Chretien visited the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve to see firsthand the consequences of the Russian attack on one of Ukraine’s main shrines.
The Director General of the National Reserve, Maksym Ostapenko, showed the guest the damaged monuments and spoke about the work that has been continuously ongoing at the Lavra since the June 15 attack.
Accompanied by leading lecturer-guide Kateryna Voyevudskaya, the delegation visited the Assumption Cathedral, which suffered the most from the Russian drone attack, and visited the Near Caves.
Spencer Chretien was presented with a tablet exhibition dedicated to the history of the main church of the Lavra. The exposition tells about the foundation of the cathedral, its destruction and restoration in different historical periods – from the explosion of 1941 to the reconstruction at the end of the 20th century.
A separate section of the exhibition is dedicated to the Russian attack of June 15 and its aftermath. Among the exhibits presented are fragments of the copper roof of the Assumption Cathedral, cut by fragments of a drone, as well as fragments of the drone that hit the shrine.
Such visits give international partners the opportunity to see the consequences of Russian aggression firsthand. After all, not only cities and civilian infrastructure are under attack, but also monuments that preserve the history and cultural heritage of Ukraine.
The exhibition also reminds us that during its almost thousand-year history, the Assumption Cathedral has repeatedly experienced destruction, but each time it has been reborn again.
Spencer Chretien will bring a gift with him to Washington — an illustrated publication “The Great History of the Great Church,” dedicated to the history of the temple.
As a reminder, as a result of the Russian massive shelling on June 15, 19 cultural heritage sites were damaged in the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. The Assumption Cathedral and the Ivan Kushnyk Tower suffered the greatest damage.
