The Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine (MCSC) called on international partners to take active steps to stop the Russian aggressor and protect Ukraine's cultural heritage.
This was stated in the message of the MCSC regarding yesterday's missile strike by the Russian Federation, which damaged the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv, Ukrinform reports.
“The damage caused to the cultural heritage of every nation is damage to the cultural heritage of all humankind. The protection of Ukraine's cultural sites and repairing the damage caused by Russia's unprovoked war against Ukraine requires joint efforts. We call on international partners to take active steps to stop the aggressor and protect Ukraine's cultural heritage from destruction,” the MCSC representatives said.
The Ministry emphasizes that this missile attack is another example of Russia's systematic destruction of Ukrainian cultural heritage. In total, according to the latest data, 1222 cultural heritage sites have been affected by Russian aggression.
As reported previously, on the morning of December 20, a Russian missile attack in Kyiv damaged St. Nicholas Church, a monument of national importance. The blast wave damaged the facade of the church, as well as the windows of the administrative building of the National House of Music, which is located nearby.
The church's façade and central stained-glass window in the shape of a Gothic “rose,” concrete frame, external and internal glazing were damaged, and window frames of the stairwells leading to the spires of the north and south towers were destroyed.
St. Nicholas Church, built in 1899-1909 in the Neo-Gothic style, is one of the most iconic architectural creations of Ukraine. Its design was created by the prominent Polish-Ukrainian architect Władysław Horodecki, author of the House with Chimeras.