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Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Representatives of the Kyiv Scientific-Methodical Center for the Protection of Monuments were unable to conduct the planned survey of the buildings of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy. The center claims that such a situation has occurred for the first time in more than 30 years of annual inspections.
5 August, representatives of the Kyiv Scientific-Methodical Center for the Protection of Monuments came to the National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy to conduct the annual commission survey.
The center’s workers say that for the first time in more than 30 years they could not carry out the annual commission survey of the buildings that are under Kyiv-Mohyla Academy’s use.
Acting President of NaUKMA Denys Azarov invited the commission members to his office, where the parties held negotiations.
According to Oleh Kolyada, the director general of the Kyiv Scientific-Methodical Center for the Protection of Monuments of History, Culture and Protected Areas, this year the center’s staff notified the academy about the visit in advance.
“We warned the academy’s leadership in advance about the inventory. It involves a visual inspection and photographic documentation,” said Oleh Kolyada. However, the official claims that the acting president of NaUKMA Denys Azarov did not allow the commission onto the territory.
“The acting president of NaUKMA Denys Azarov forbade us to conduct the survey, stating that our actions are illegal. Although the documents we work on remained the same as in previous years. Previously they caused no objections, and this year they suddenly deemed illegal,” said Kolyada.
According to him, the center annually checks six cultural heritage sites transferred to the academy for free, indefinitely, in 1993 year. Among them are the House of the Superior, the cells, and the sundial.
Kolyada asserts that the House of the Superior has been in an alarming state for about ten years.
“We believe that the academy leadership did not fulfill the conditions of the protection agreement. The building has been gradually collapsing, and for about ten years we have been recording its unsatisfactory technical condition,” he noted.
According to the center’s director, after each survey the information was sent to the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of the Kyiv City State Administration, which issued prescriptions to remedy violations.
“Our task is to document the state of monuments and transfer the materials to the department. As far as we know, the department issued prescriptions, but this did not change the situation,” said Kolyada.
Due to denial of access, representatives of the center called the police.
“Last year the procedure went without hindrance. The academy provided its representative, and together with him we inspected all buildings, conducted photographic documentation, assessed their technical condition, drew up an act and forwarded it to the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection,” Oleh Kolyada said.
“The police recorded the fact that we were not given access to the objects. Now law enforcement will determine the legal assessment of this situation,” the official said.
According to Kolyada, representatives of the academy explained their refusal by claiming that the commission’s actions are illegal. In addition, he asserts that there were statements about allegedly political persecution.
“They told us that we are allegedly acting illegally and even conducting political persecution. We categorically disagree with this, because we conducted inventories every year using the same documents since 1993,” he said.
The center also states that they could not enter other monuments located on the academy’s territory. Only by chance, when the gates were open, could workers see one of the buildings.
At the same time, Kyiv-Mohyla Academy had previously emphasized its interest in preserving the historic campus and complying with the requirements of the memorial protection legislation. The university also stated that there are currently no projects for new construction on the academy’s territory, and any decisions regarding the development of the complex must be made in compliance with the procedures and approvals provided by law.
During today’s visit, the NaUKMA leadership did not provide journalists with a separate comment on the circumstances of the commission’s denial of access.
Document: PDF proof of the original version of the news item "Науково‑методичний центр охорони пам’яток заявив про зрив планового обстеження Києво‑Могилянки". It records the publication content at the moment of the first scan, the preservation date and the source: Bagnet.
