Discussion held at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra with International Alliance on protection of sites from Russian shelling

In September this year, UNESCO added St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, and the center of Lviv to the list of World Heritage Sites in danger due to the threat of destruction from the advance of Russian forces, as reported by UNESCO.

Therefore, the protection of national shrines and cultural heritage is the top priority for relevant actors and officials.

Representatives of the International Alliance for the Protection of Cultural Heritage in Conflict Zones, ALPH Foundation, led by Valerie Freeland, visited Kyiv on the territory of the Upper Lavra and also met with the leadership of the Reserve led by Maksym Ostapenko, who currently heads the National Reserve.

According to Iryna Martinyuk, the chief custodian of the Reserve's funds, the foundation helped to purchase packaging materials, equipment for storage, and encryption of the collection. Moreover, considering the ongoing blackout issues, the company provided a charging station, EcoFlow, to ensure the continuous work of the Reserve's specialists.

At the outset of the full-scale invasion, ALPH Foundation was one of the first to offer assistance to the Reserve in order to protect its collections from the threat of destruction.

Accompanied by lecturer-guide Kateryna Voyevudska, the delegation visited the Assumption Cathedral, which was recently encrypted by the Skeiron company with the support of the foundation. They also received a gift of the book "The Great History of the Great Church," published for the 950th anniversary of the Assumption Cathedral.