In its quest to build luxury apartments for its employees, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is accused of infringing upon one of Kyiv’s most historic sites.
The project, a single 3,800-square-meter luxury apartment building divided into four sections between six and nine floors, is planned for the intersection of Peysazhna Alley and Desiatynniy Lane, at the heart of Kyiv’s ancient district that dates back more than a millennium.
The construction project’s opponents, namely cultural activists and local residents, argue the construction is forbidden because the property falls within the St. Sophia’s Cathedral-Caves Monastery historical complex, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Allegations of illegal building in Kyiv’s historic center are increasingly common. Architectural structures, parks and historical sites such as the Kyiv Fortress are examples of the city’s cultural heritage that have suffered from the city’s recent development boom, activists said.
If completed, the 60 apartments would be among the most luxurious in Kyiv, with rooftop pools and two-tiered underground parking for 104 cars, said Oleksandr Bondarenko, president of the Association of Real Estate Experts. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs didn’t respond to the Post’s inquiries in time.
The building’s location is just as attractive, situated in the heart of Kyiv on a quiet backstreet tucked between the Museum of Ukrainian History and the site of the Desiatynna Church (Tithe Church), built by the KyivanRus’s greatest prince Volodymyr but razed by invading Mongols.
Peysazhna Alley is also a place where young Kyivans profess their love for each other and where artists find inspiration.
In July 2004, former Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko granted permission for the project to a firm directed by Vitaliy Nazarov and its partners, Ukrainian Consul to the Philippines Vitaliy Kovalenko and Americanfirm ECLAD Invest Ltd.
Nazarov declined comment on the matter.
At the time, nearby residents owned 24 garages that were built on the site in the 1980s, but they were unexpectedly demolished in September 2006.
“How can one be confident in the future, if on any day the government may invade your privacy without any legal reasons?,” said Maryna Soloviova, a lawyer fighting the construction.
At the time, a complaint filed by local resident and activist Oleksandr Romanov was pending in a district court to prohibit the construction, alleging it was illegal since it was situated on a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The court forbade any further construction, but was duly ignored by the builders, who demolished the privately owned garages and dug a foundation pit.
To appease protests, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs attempted a smokescreen by breaking ties with the construction company, Ukrayinske Mayno, subsequently teaming up with an enterprise called UMInvest.
But the director and shareholders turned out to be precisely the same people.
Neither Omelchenko nor current Mayor Leonid Chernovetskiy have taken steps to halt construction.
Among the few positive things to emerge from the alleged illegal construction was likely “Save Old Kyiv,” a civic group of young activists taking nonviolent protest measures to preserve the old look and history of the city’s ancient center.
According to their investigation, only 20 percent of apartments will belong to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The other 80 percent will be sold at a premium price, suggesting that topranking Ministry officials stand to make a handsome profit.
Meanwhile, Romanov’s case is in its last appeal, with the next court case slated for April 2008.
Romanov said he isn’t optimistic about the hearing and doubts his lawyer, Soloviova, will win against the Kyiv City Administration and UMInvest.
In November 2006, UNESCO informed Soloviova in a letter that “realizing building projects without UNESCO permission will violate both national law and Ukraine’s international obligations.”
Ironically, the current foreign affairs minister Volodymyr Ohryzko happens to be the UNESCO National Commission chair. Therefore, the commission’s position is not too hard to guess.
“We will investigate this,” was the only comment Ohryzko offered to Artem Chapay, one of Save Old Kyiv’s founders.
Hopelessly mired in Kyiv’s utterly corrupt courts, the activists are resorting to desperate measures, dismantling construction fences that appear every few weeks.
None of them have been arrested, yet.
