Head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergey Naryshkin, announced the intention to "protect" the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, from which Ukraine wants to evacuate religious relics during the war.
Naryshkin's statement is quoted by Russian media, as reported by Espreso.
The representative of the aggressor country stated that Ukraine has reached an agreement with UNESCO to relocate the relics from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to museums in Italy, France, Germany, and the Vatican. According to Naryshkin, funds for the evacuation have already been allocated, and transportation has been organized.
In the opinion of the Russian intelligence representative, the Western world will not return the relocated relics. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) noted that "the protection of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra has deep spiritual significance for Russia, so their determination to carry out military operations to the end is becoming stronger."
Russia has claimed that it will return the "priceless relics" and "will definitely return" them, as emphasized by the intelligence agency of the aggressor country.
In response to Naryshkin's statement, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine stated that they have no intention of exporting relics from Ukraine. However, Russia must return what it has looted.
"The more the Lavra becomes Ukrainian, the more outrage on the swamps (i.e. the more resentment sparks in Russia). The only task we have now regarding the Lavra is to protect it from the 'Russian world' and to verify whether all our Ukrainian sacred relics are in place. No sacred value will leave the territory of Ukraine. Everything stolen by Russia will have to be returned," the statement said.