Zelenskyy orders new law to protect Ukraine's national heritage sites
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy (photo: Getty Images)
Ukraine plans to introduce a separate national shrine status for the country's most important cultural heritage sites, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy's Decree and his statement.
The president spoke about the upcoming legislation during a ceremony marking the 975th anniversary of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
He said he had already signed a decree on measures to protect Ukraine's national shrines and discussed the document with Parliament Speaker Ruslan Stefanchuk.
"I ask parliament to support the relevant law so that we can clearly define what our shrines are and what steps are needed to protect them throughout our country," the head of state said.
According to him, a legally established status would strengthen the protection of Ukrainian shrines, museum collections, and cultural heritage, as well as expand financial, legal, and other opportunities for those responsible for their preservation.
Presidential decree details
The Cabinet of Ministers has been instructed to draft a bill on protecting the national shrines of the Ukrainian people by August 24 this year. The legislation should establish, among other things, criteria for granting a specific site national shrine status.
The list is expected to include sites that already have national heritage status and/or are part of the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are prominent and unique centers of Ukrainians' historical memory, spirituality and culture that have played a role in the formation of the Ukrainian nation and statehood.
The law should also regulate how the list will be compiled, what additional protection measures will apply to included sites, and what powers government authorities will receive, including regarding state protection programs for such sites in line with international standards.
The legislation would also establish liability for the destruction or damage of national shrines.
The Cabinet is also tasked with preparing and promoting nominations of Ukrainian sites for the UNESCO World Heritage List and improving heritage protection policies amid Russian aggression.
The Foreign Ministry has been instructed to provide the international community with more information about Russia's crimes against Ukraine's cultural heritage.
It is also tasked with seeking accountability for Russia over these crimes, supporting Ukrainian UNESCO nominations, and attracting international funding, reparations, and other payments from Russia to protect and restore Ukrainian heritage sites.
As previously reported, since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russia has systematically destroyed Ukraine's cultural heritage.
On the night of June 15, 2026, a Russian drone deliberately struck the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the main church of the complex and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
This year, the Ukrainian Parliament also backed another presidential initiative in the field of cultural heritage—the creation of a Ukrainian National Pantheon, with the government designating the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra for it.
