Tayanna found herself at the center of a scandal over doubts about the advisability of restoring the Lavra

Ukrainian singer Tayanna (Tetyana Reshetnyak) has come under a barrage of criticism on social media for her statement that spending money on the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is inappropriate, given that the country currently has more pressing needs. The artist expressed the opinion that the restoration of the historic monument should be postponed until the end of the Russian-Ukrainian war. 

The discussion erupted under a post by Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko, where the singer left her comment. Although Tayanna later deleted the post, music critic Roman Buturlakin publicly criticized her for failing to understand the value of this millennia-old UNESCO heritage site, noting that the cathedral, now left without a roof, could be completely destroyed by the elements. 

The singer’s statement caused a rift among users: some supported her, emphasizing the priority of helping people who have lost their homes and funding the army, while others accused the singer of belittling and devaluing national culture, the preservation of which is also at the heart of the ongoing war. Amid the scandal, the artist’s brother—singer Misha Marvin—was once again mentioned online; after the start of the full-scale invasion, he returned to Russia and continued his career there, although Tayanna herself had previously stated that she had cut off contact with him due to political differences.

Music critic Roman Buturlakin wrote about this on Threads.

As a reminder, Russia attacked the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, causing a fire.

Iryna Deryugina reacted emotionally to the Russian shelling of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.