Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine has approved and directed to UNESCO new buffer zones in Kyiv

The Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports approved new buffer zones in Kyiv, in particular, merged the Sophia of Kyiv and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra zones.
On February 7, 2020, a briefing was held on “Protecting UNESCO Objects: New Buffer Zones in Kyiv, Objects of Restoration in Ukraine for 2020” with the participation of Minister of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine Volodymyr Borodyansky and Deputy Minister Svitlana Fomenko.
During the briefing, the Minister noted that in connection with the amendments to the Law of Ukraine “On Protection of Cultural Heritage”, which were introduced on June 19, 2018, the central executive body providing state policy in the field of protection of cultural heritage, empowered to approve the boundaries and regimes of use of buffer zones of World Heritage Sites.
Volodymyr Borodyanskyi emphasized that the development of the buffer zone was focused on the prospects of visual disclosure of the object from the most significant points of visual catchment of the panorama of the right bank of Dnieper.
Svitlana Fomenko added, that on January, 31 these standards were approved and sent to UNESCO by Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports of Ukraine. “This issue will be discussed in the summer session, but it is already approved, UNESCO will simply consider how we preserve our property”, – Fomenko said.
According to her words, from now on, the buffer zones of Sophia of Kyiv and Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra constitute the common integrated area, which covers the historical center of the city of Kyiv. At one time, these sites were included in the UNESCO list of sites without a buffer zone, which resulted in chaotic development and lack of legal regulation of such development in the historic center of the capital.
“We have increased this area by more than 100 hectares, including Khreshchatyk Street, Independence Square, Prorizna Str, Andriivskyi Hill, Volodymyrskyi Hill, the slopes of the Dnieper, the territory of the Park of Eternal Glory and National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War. That is, now it’s all a buffer zone”, – informed Deputy Minister.
In addition, it was reported which objects are planned to be restored in 2020. Including:
• Roman Catholic Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv;
• Berezhany Town Hall (Ternopil Oblast);
• Kamyana Mohyla (Stone grave) in Zaporizhia Oblast;
• Khotyn Fortress (Chernivtsi Oblast);
• Bursa (Seminary) on the territory of St. Sophia of Kyiv.
In total, $ 114 million will be allocated from the state budget for restoration work in 2020.