An electronic petition No. 14562 has been registered on the official website of the Kyiv City State Administration (KCSA), demanding the initiation of the renaming procedure for the 18th-century Moscow Gates located on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, RBC-Ukraine reports. The initiator of the appeal is Kostiantyn Dosychev, who submitted his request to the KCSA Department of Cultural Heritage Protection asking them to prepare a corresponding presentation to the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine.
Legal Basis and Renaming Mechanism
According to the text of the petition, the first step in the procedure should be the inclusion of the 18th-century Moscow Gates, located at 23 Ivan Mazepa (Lavrska) Street, in the State Register of Immovable Monuments of Ukraine. According to the author's plan, this exact action will become a necessary condition for preparing a government act on renaming the structure. As a legal basis, the initiator cites Law No. 3005-IX dated July 27, 2023, "On the Condemnation and Prohibition of Propaganda of Russian Imperial Policy in Ukraine and Decolonization of Toponymy," which creates a regulatory framework for reviewing the names of objects associated with Russian imperial symbolism.
Current Status of Signature Collection
At the time of publication, the petition has gathered more than 350 signatures out of the required 6,000. There were 51 days left before the collection deadline. According to the established procedure, for the Kyiv City Council to be obliged to consider an electronic petition, it must gather the established number of votes within the allotted timeframe. Thus, at present, the initiative is at an early stage and its further fate depends on the activity of the signatories.
Historical Context and Architectural Significance
The Moscow Gates are one of the most recognizable elements of the entrance group of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, built in the 18th century in a style characteristic of Ukrainian baroque and classicism. The structure is a two-tier construction with a colonnade, an arched passage, and a dome on the upper tier, making it both a historical and architectural monument. The issue of its name has been periodically raised in public discourse in recent years against the backdrop of a general trend toward reviewing toponymy and the names of cultural heritage objects containing references to Russian imperial history.
Related Context: Lavra Restoration Following Damage
The petition to rename the gates has emerged against the backdrop of ongoing restoration work at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. It was previously reported that conservation work would be carried out on the roof of the Dormition Cathedral within the complex, which was damaged in June of this year as a result of a Russian UAV attack. In addition, Switzerland, through the UNESCO mechanism, has allocated about $730,000 for the protection and restoration of the Dormition Cathedral, emphasizing the international significance of the Lavra as a World Heritage site. The combination of these factors — the legal initiative for renaming and parallel restoration projects — forms a multi-layered agenda surrounding the future of the complex.
