Representatives of the UCCRO have called on UNESCO, the United Nations, the Council of Europe, the European Union, and all international partners to take comprehensive measures to reliably protect the cultural and religious heritage of Ukraine and the world. They urged these organizations to condemn the Russian Federation for its ongoing acts of vandalism and to hold it accountable for its cynical violations of international law, religious freedom, and other fundamental human rights.
The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (UCCRO) has issued a statement regarding the damage caused to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by Russian shelling.
The Council emphasizes that the damage inflicted on the Lavra during the night of January 23-24, 2026, resulting from a Russian terrorist attack, is not an isolated event. Instead, it reflects the systematic consequences of the Russian Federation's armed aggression against Ukraine.
"Russian aggression is accompanied by deliberate strikes, as well as by the explosive and vibrational shockwaves they generate, which pose a real and ongoing threat to both above-ground and underground monuments, creating risks of their irreversible loss. More than 700 sacred sites in Ukraine have already been damaged by missile and drone attacks, responsibility for which lies with the armed forces of the Russian Federation," the statement reads.
"The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is one of the key spiritual centers of Christianity and the largest center of the Christianization of Eastern Europe and Northern Eurasia since the 11th century. In 2026, the Lavra simultaneously marks 975 years since its first written mention and 100 years since its territory was declared a historical and cultural preserve. It was precisely in this year that the Lavra suffered military damage — for the first time since World War II. These actions constitute a gross and systematic violation of international humanitarian law, including the 1954 Hague Convention, its Second Protocol (1999), as well as the fundamental principles governing the protection of UNESCO World Heritage properties," emphasize representatives of the Council of Churches.