Maxim Ostapenko, Acting General Director of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Reserve, in an interview with Novosti Priazovye said that at the moment the reserve does not have specialists who could properly deal with the caves of the monastery.

“The issue of staffing, of the team that should work under the conditions of renovation of the Lavra, taking into account the Lower Lavra, is a very serious task, because in addition to the existing departments, we should have new departments that should deal with the caves themselves. That is, these are separate underground structures that need to be dealt with and have specialists of such a level that there are not yet in the Lavra,” Ostapenko admits.

Also, the acting general director emphasized that it is the caves that are extremely important, because “any damage from above can lead to destruction or emergency situations underground, where the most valuable shrines of the Lavra are stored.”

Recall that in the same interview Maxim Ostapenko said that it is now financially difficult for the Ministry of Culture to support the Lavra.