The Rada called for Russia to be expelled from UNESCO

Olena Kondratiuk, Deputy Speaker of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, called on UNESCO member states to publicly condemn this latest act of aggression and to initiate an urgent review of the Russian Federation’s responsibility for the systematic destruction of World Heritage sites. According to her, the presence of the aggressor state in an organization that is supposed to protect humanity’s cultural heritage has become completely absurd. 

The MP emphasized that the destruction of the shrine was not the result of an accidental strike. A direct hit from an enemy drone struck the altar area of the Assumption Cathedral—the St. Stephen’s Chapel. As a result of the attack, both the exterior and interior of the cathedral, as well as nearby buildings, were significantly damaged. 

Within the reserve, windows and doors of a number of cultural institutions were damaged, including the Treasury of the National Museum of Ukrainian History, the Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine, the National Historical Library of Ukraine, the National Academy of Culture and Arts Management, and the storage facility of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine.

Olena Kondratyuk specifically emphasized that even after the fire was successfully contained, unique interior paintings, frescoes, and the historic iconostasis remain under serious threat of destruction. These decorative elements represent not only religious but also immense national and global cultural value, which Russia is deliberately trying to erase. Based on these facts, the Deputy Speaker called on the international community to call a spade a spade and adopt the only logical decision—to completely strip Russia of its UNESCO membership.

The Deputy Speaker wrote about this on her official Facebook page following a personal visit to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on Monday, June 15, 2026.