Russia destroys Tauric Chersonesos under the guise of "reconstruction"
This is stated in the story of Channel 24.
This story began back in 2015, when the then governor of Sevastopol appointed a representative of the Moscow Patriarchate, far from science and archaeology, to manage this unique object. The then workers met this decision with shouts of "shame", but they were quickly explained the difference between European Ukraine and occupation Russia.
Under the flag of the Russian authorities, the gradual transformation of the historical monument into an entertainment object began. Illegal construction works, modernization and "dobrostroy" (good management) are aimed at transforming the museum reserve into a show platform.
"I remember when there were still ruins of this temple and it was restored under Ukraine. Now there is some kind of disgrace going on. It turns into a show platform where masquerades, theatrical performances will be held, maybe something worse," said Olga Sivkova, a resident of Sevastopol.
Landscape views at the construction site were ruined by a fence. Stands for spectators were erected in the Reserve and opera performances were held, which were personally attended by Vladimir Putin.
However, it seemed to the Russian President that such "achievements" were not enough, so he approved the continuation of the barbaric "modernization" of the Chersonesos Tauris archaeological reserve.
"I know that excavations are being carried out there, work is underway, but this is not enough yet. We must do even more, we will develop Chersonesos and dal, "Putin said.
During the so-called "good management" in Chersonesos, inappropriate wooden paths and booths appeared, as well as many modern electronic sensor devices and stretched electrical cables that power the lighting system.
In some places, the paths were even paved with modern paving slabs, and during construction work, archaeological valuables and artifacts were destroyed by bulldozers. Local activists oppose the "modernization" of Chersonesos and its transformation into a show platform.
"Over the past 3 years, we have seen numerous facts of damage to ancient buildings, damage to the ancient appearance of Chersonesos itself, "said a resident of Sevastopol.
Former restorer of the museum reserve Anatoly Tumanov even filed a lawsuit in a local Russian court, demanding that the invaders stop the so-called "reconstruction" of the Reserve.
"Unfortunately, the court of the first instance did not need any project documentation, no acts of hidden work, no section on construction – no documents at all. They didn't need anything, although I applied 2 times," Anatoly Tumanov said.
Unfortunately, the struggle of local activists against the occupation authorities may be ineffective. Ukraine is making every effort to draw the attention of the international community to this problem.
"We should simply document and investigate these crimes, involve other states, Interpol and arrest people involved in these works in other countries," said Alexander Malyshev, an employee of the Vladimir Koretsky Institute of state and law.
The next session of the UNESCO World Heritage Committee is scheduled for June – July 2021. During its implementation, there are grounds to seek to include "Tauric Chersonesos" in the list of objects under threat.
In addition, issues related to the UNESCO monitoring mission are constantly being discussed. Its members are already ready to come to the occupied Crimea, but only if security is guaranteed. However, this is not the case yet, so monitoring is carried out only at a distance.
