The President of the Republic of Lithuania, Gitanas Nausėda, visited the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve on the occasion of the 510th anniversary of the Battle of Orsha.
This was reported by the press service of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications.
“Every Lithuanian school student knows about the Battle of Orsha. We learn about it at school, and we carry this idea of courage and invincibility with us throughout our lives. Today we must remember Kostiantyn Ostrozky. We must be brave and believe that we will defeat the enemy again, as we did 500 years ago. We are looking forward to the day when Ukraine will defeat the Russian occupiers, and we will be the first to rejoice in this victory,” Nausėda emphasized.
The Lithuanian President stressed the importance of continuing cooperation with Ukraine in the cultural sphere and preserving the common historical heritage. In particular, they discussed the development of new projects emphasizing the unity of our peoples in the past and present.
During the visit, the parties discussed the continuation of the project to restore the monument to the outstanding military leader and one of the largest patrons of the Lavra.
“Today, we honor a page in the common history of Ukraine and Lithuania - a deep, powerful and heroic history. We honor the memory of the great commander, prince, and cultural and religious figure, Kostiantyn Ostrozky. I wish for the world to know, as it did then, Russia's true nature and cunning,” said Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
The MCSC representatives note that over the past ten years, the reserve has been actively cooperating with Lithuanian partners, implementing intergovernmental projects aimed at restoring historical monuments associated with the Ostroh princes' dynasty. In 2023, a bas-relief in honor of the prince was installed on the northern facade of the Assumption Cathedral, created by famous Ukrainian sculptors Borys Krylov and Oles Sydoruk.
As noted, the guests were the first to see the restored painting “The Battle of Orsha” by Polish artist Józef Mencina-Krzesz from the collection of the Rivne Regional Museum of Local Lore, restored by the Department of Scientific Restoration of the National Reserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”.
