Greece Backs Restoration of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra After Russian Strike

Greece has pledged financial and technical support to help restore Ukraine’s cultural landmarks after recent Russian strikes damaged the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio.

According to a statement posted by the Embassy of Greece in Ukraine on social media, Greek Ambassador Panagiotis Dimitrakopoulos delivered a letter from Greek Culture Minister Lina Mendoni to Ukraine’s Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna.

In the message, Mendoni strongly condemned attacks on cultural heritage and announced several concrete initiatives aimed at supporting Ukraine’s preservation efforts.

These include Greece’s readiness to finance restoration studies for the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a memorandum of understanding between the European Centre for Byzantine and Post-Byzantine Monuments and Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture, specialized training workshops in Thessaloniki for Ukrainian conservators, and Greece’s contribution to the Ukraine Cultural Heritage Fund.

“Protecting cultural heritage means protecting memory, identity and the values that unite us,” the embassy said, reaffirming Greece’s solidarity with Ukraine.

The announcement follows a recent Russian attack on Kyiv that damaged the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of Ukraine’s most sacred religious landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as well as the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio, where part of Ukraine’s historic cultural archive was damaged.

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Russian Strike on Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Damaged 5 Heritage Sites

The director of Ukraine’s Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve said a Russian drone attack on June 15 damaged five cultural heritage sites and nearly caused catastrophic destruction to the UNESCO-listed complex. Firefighters managed to save the 11th-century Dormition Cathedral from a major fire, while museum collections and historic artifacts were evacuated in time.

President Volodymyr Zelensky met UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer on the sidelines of the G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains to discuss new British support for Ukraine and the aftermath of Russia’s recent strike on Kyiv, including damage to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

According to Zelensky’s Telegram statement, the condition of the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, hit during a Russian attack on Sunday, June 14, was a key topic of discussion.

“We discussed the possible involvement of the United Kingdom in the restoration of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” Zelensky said.

He has also raised the issue with other G7 leaders, describing the damage to the Lavra as emblematic of Russia’s wider assault on Ukraine’s cultural and religious heritage.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot compared the strike to an attack on Notre-Dame or Saint-Denis, calling Russia’s war a “colonial war” against Ukraine.

“Russia showed the extent of its cruelty by massively striking the capital, Kyiv, causing extremely severe damage to the Dormition Cathedral within the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra... which for us, the French, is the equivalent of bombing Notre-Dame or Saint-Denis,” Barrot said.

He added rising civilian casualties demonstrate that Russian President Vladimir Putin remains a major obstacle to peace, a claim Moscow rejects, denying responsibility for the Lavra strike.

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said fragments of a Russian Geran-2 kamikaze drone were found at the site.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attacks a deliberate assault on humanity’s cultural heritage and urged international accountability measures.

EU leaders also condemned the strike. European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said it showed Russia’s focus on “violence and destruction,” while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the damage a “war crime” and demanded accountability.

In response, G7 leaders agreed on additional sanctions targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex and shadow fleet.