On December 20, 2024, the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv, an architectural landmark of national importance, suffered significant damage as a result of a Russian missile strike. The powerful blast wave from the "Kinzhal" missile damaged the facade of the building, stained glass windows, roof structures and decorative elements.
Specialists of the Ukrainian International Institute for Restoration (UMIV) conducted an operational inspection of the damaged monument. Vitaliy Molochko, head of UMIV, reported that the stained glass of the main facade was almost completely destroyed, and the condition of the elements of the facade had significantly deteriorated.
Emergency emergency works
On the basis of the survey, experts of UMIV drew up a defective report and identified a list of priority works to ensure the safety of the monument:
- Additional fixation and dismantling of damaged elements of the facade. All items will be saved for later recovery.
- Repair of concrete elements of facade decoration. This will help prevent jamming and corrosion.
- Protection of facade sculptures. In places where fixation is not possible, protective canopies or nets will be installed.
- Restoration of metal elements of the roof and ceramic coating of the building.
- Repair of wooden structures of roofs of towers.
- Temporary installation of translucent structures. All destroyed stained glass windows will be marked and saved for further restoration work.
The preliminary cost of priority measures is about 30 million hryvnias.
UMIV specialists emphasize that emergency work is only the beginning of the long process of restoration of the Church of St. Nicholas. Vitaly Molochko noted that the monument needs comprehensive restoration, which will take into account both technical and artistic aspects. For this purpose, an expert group has been created, which will be engaged in scientific research and development of the restoration project.
The Church of St. Nicholas is a symbol of Kyiv's architectural grandeur. However, Russia's actions continue to threaten Ukraine's cultural heritage. The "Dagger" strike became another proof of the aggressor's attempts to destroy the national identity.
The restoration of the Church will not only be an important stage in the preservation of cultural heritage, but also a symbol of the resilience of the Ukrainian people.
