Zelenskyy pledges law protecting Ukraine's national shrines by Independence Day
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced a bill on protecting the country's national shrines will be drafted by 24 August. The statement came at a ceremony marking the 975th anniversary of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on 15 August that a bill on protecting Ukraine's national shrines will be prepared by Independence Day, 24 August. He made the announcement at a ceremony marking the 975th anniversary of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv.
Zelenskyy said he had already signed a decree on state-level measures to protect national shrines and had asked Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk to secure support for a law that would clearly define what counts as a national shrine and what steps are needed to protect such sites across the country.
According to Zelenskyy, the new legal status would give people working to preserve Ukraine's heritage greater opportunities, including better working conditions, funding, and political and legal tools to protect shrines, museum collections and cultural heritage overall.
He also called for stronger international efforts to shield Ukraine's cultural and spiritual heritage from Russian aggression, referencing the strike on the Lavra during the war and urging state institutions to pursue international funding and resources more actively.
Anniversary ceremony in Kyiv
On the Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, Kyiv held a joint state-and-church ceremony marking the Lavra's 975th anniversary. Attendees included Deputy Prime Minister and Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna, UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO Representative in Ukraine Chiara Dezzi Bardeschi, Swiss Federal Council Commissioner for Ukraine Jacques Gerber, and Metropolitan Epiphanius of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, among other officials.
A formal handover of documents took place between the Swiss and UNESCO representatives, and an anniversary exhibition opened featuring a new Book of Guardians and Benefactors of the Lavra. Zelenskyy made the book's first entry as preparations begin for the site's 1,000th anniversary.
