How much Switzerland allocates<\/p>\n
Switzerland will allocate 600,000 Swiss francs\u2014about $730,000\u2014through UNESCO to protect and restore the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Jacques Gerber, the Swiss government’s delegate to Ukraine, announced.<\/p>\n
He made the announcement in Kyiv during celebrations marking the Lavra’s 975th anniversary.<\/p>\n
Gerber said he had a substantive discussion with Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna and UNESCO Director-General Khaled El-Enany.<\/p>\n
How Ukraine responded<\/p>\n
Acting Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha welcomed Switzerland’s decision. He stressed that the support is particularly significant today\u2014just two months before the Lavra’s 975th anniversary, Russia deliberately struck the centuries-old shrine.<\/p>\n
“While Russia seeks to destroy Ukraine’s cultural heritage and erase our identity, our partners stand with us in protecting and preserving it for future generations,” Sybiha said.<\/p>\n
The minister thanked Switzerland for solidarity and personally thanked Jacques Gerber for joining the anniversary celebrations in Kyiv.<\/p>\n
“Together, we are safeguarding Ukraine’s heritage and an invaluable part of Europe’s and the world’s cultural legacy,” Sybiha added.<\/p>\n
As previously reported, overnight on June 15, a Russian drone deliberately struck the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the complex’s main church and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<\/p>\n