In Kyiv, a strong wind blew away a three-meter cross from one of the domes of St. Sophia Cathedral. Now it has been delivered for examination. The incident occurred at night, so no one was injured.
This is reported by TSN.
The crosses on St Sofia, now crowning its domes, were replaced for the Olympics-80, they are only 40 years old.
According to Vadym Kyrylenko, Deputy General Director of the National Reserve "St Sofia of Kyiv", if compliant with the technology, they can stand forever. But the Soviet restorers, he explains, were either really in a hurry, or made a mistake: the base of the crosses, black metal, was wrapped in copper.
"There are laws of physics, there are rules of chemistry, they are unshakable. These metals worked together and ate each other," he says.
It became clear that the crosses need to be restored, but it is impossible to plan such work in the cold season: we were waiting for summer. Element has made some adjustments.
Kira Petrachek, Deputy General Director of the National Reserve "St Sofia of Kyiv" for cultural and educational activities, admits that she reviews the winter weather forecast several times a day. If forecasters predict the wind, he says – they fix everything that can be fixed.
"On domes, unfortunately, nothing can be secured," she notes.
An unscheduled survey of domes and crosses is currently underway. If necessary, crosses that may pose a danger to visitors and employees of the museum will be removed. And they will wait for the summer when it will be possible to start the restoration.
On January 14, a record wind speed of 23 M/S or 83 km/h was recorded in Kyiv. The indicator is 3 m/s higher than the previous maximum value recorded in 1966. It is noted that the historical record maximum wind speed in the capital is 25 m/s and has been maintained since March 20, 1881.
In Bakota, the wind knocked down the concrete cross.