Switzerland to give around $730,000 to preserve Kyiv's Caves Monastery

Switzerland will contribute roughly US$730,000 toward preserving and rebuilding the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Caves Monastery, whose Dormition Cathedral was damaged by a Russian strike two months ago.

The pledge was announced by Jacques Gerber, the Swiss Federal Council's delegate for Ukraine, according to European Pravda. Gerber noted that the Lavra recently celebrated its 975th anniversary and said Switzerland would channel 600,000 Swiss francs — about $730,000 — through UNESCO to fund the site's protection and restoration.

Context and meetings

Gerber took part in the anniversary events and said he had held constructive talks with Ukraine's Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna and UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany.

Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha thanked Switzerland for the decision. Writing on X, he said that while Russia seeks to destroy Ukraine's cultural heritage and erase its identity, partners like Switzerland stand by Ukraine in protecting and preserving that heritage for future generations, calling the pledge a tangible expression of solidarity.

The move follows an announcement in June by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy that Switzerland would help repair the Lavra after it was damaged in a Russian strike on 15 June.