Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Restoration Costs Surge Past $11 Million Following Russian Missile Damage

The cost of restoring cultural heritage sites at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra damaged in a Russian strike has already exceeded 500 million hryvnias ($11 million), with officials warning the final figure is likely to rise. Full restoration work is expected to take around two years.

This was stated by Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the National Preserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra,” as reported by hromadske on June 16.

He said that extensive emergency response work had already been completed in the immediate aftermath of the attack. All exhibits at risk of damage were dismantled and secured within the first hour after the strike.

According to him, around 80% of the roof of the Dormition Cathedral was damaged. However, emergency crews managed to prevent the fire from spreading inside the building, which could have led to far greater losses. He noted that the cathedral houses a 25-metre iconostasis—the largest in Ukraine—saturated with oils and paints, which would have been extremely difficult, if not impossible, to save if ignited.

“We are currently assessing the damage — both direct and other types of destruction identified across the cathedral. In addition to the Dormition Cathedral and the Tower of Kuschnyk as the main affected sites, another 17 objects were damaged by the blast. The extent of damage varies, and we are documenting everything. We can already say with certainty that the losses exceed around 500 million hryvnias ($11 million). Further comprehensive analysis will continue, and the final figure will be clarified,” he said.

Ostapenko also described the attack on the site as deliberate.

“The Dormition Cathedral, the Tower of Kuschnyk and the ‘Mystetskyi Arsenal’ were direct hits. These were not fragments; these were drones following a precise trajectory. There are testimonies from people who saw the drones approaching the Dormition Cathedral. I would like to remind that the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra covers 27 hectares, so a random strike on the altar part of the cathedral is simply not a realistic scenario,” Ostapenko said.

Russia’s overnight strikes on June 14–15 inflicted widespread damage on some of Ukraine’s most significant cultural and historical landmarks, with reports of impacts on UNESCO-listed sites, museums, and artistic institutions across the country.

Ukraine’s Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the attacks went beyond civilian infrastructure and were deliberately directed at the nation’s cultural and religious heritage.

Alongside the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the Dovzhenko Film Studio in Kyiv’s Shuliavka district was struck twice during the assault.

Following the strikes, the largest and oldest costume archive in Ukraine, located at the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio, was completely destroyed, studio CEO Andrii Donchyk said during an appearance on the Breakfast with 1+1 programme.

He said the facility housed around 100,000 costumes and approximately three million individual clothing items. The attack also damaged several other buildings and infrastructure within the studio complex.

“This is a unique collection, and it has been completely destroyed. Cossack costumes, clothing associated with Bohdan Khmelnytsky, and numerous historical artefacts have been lost. Everything was stored here,” Donchyk said.

He added that the destruction also included costumes used in landmark Ukrainian films such as Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors, along with other culturally and historically significant wardrobe items and artefacts.

The large-scale attack on June 15 also left 30 people injured, including two children aged five and six. The death toll in the capital rose to five as a result of the extensive strike.

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