On July 19, a historic building dating back to the late 19th century was demolished in the capital on Konys'koho Street. UNN tells what kind of building it is and the details of its demolition.
Malinin's estate or Zelensky's estate
The current address of the building is 22 Konys'koho Street. The building was constructed of wood and lined with bricks. The manor was the last wooden and oldest building on the street.
The Neo-Renaissance manor was built in the late 19th century by a merchant and professor Vasyl Malinin. He owned the house for two decades, after which the family of the honorary citizen and burgher Yevhen Zelensky lived here for several years.
Initially, the house was a one-story building, but in the late 1980s and 90s a mezzanine was built, a superstructure over the middle part of the house.
Scandals around the estate
In 2017, the construction company Servit built an 11-story residential complex Tergenev next to the estate. The following year, the first attempt to demolish the estate took place, when the developer's representatives managed to demolish the left wing of the building. Due to public opposition, the work stopped. However, in 2021, attempts to demolish the manor resumed, as it does not have an official protection status.
The issue of preserving the estate was repeatedly discussed with representatives of the Kyiv city authorities. In particular, the issue was raised that the estate was to be demolished to expand a residential complex named after the Russian writer. Activists collected 6000 signatures under a petition in defense of the estate. However, on July 19, it was demolished.
“This is not the result of hostilities...”
This is not an Iskander or a caliber. This is not the result of hostilities. This is the city of Kyiv, 320 kilometers away from the nearest point of the frontline. “Turgenev Build LLC demolished the historic Zelensky estate, 1890. Activists who tried to prevent the dismantling were beaten by thugs...,” activist Dmytro Perov wrote on Facebook. As the head of the Ministry of Culture Rostyslav Karandeyev explained, the estate was indeed not included in the State Register of Immovable Monuments, but the reason is that KCSA did not prepare and submit the necessary documentation.
“The NGO “Heritage Kyiv” addressed the ICIP with a letter dated 18.07.2024. Unfortunately, either after learning about this initiative or by coincidence, the developer almost completely destroyed the historically significant building on the same day. Nevertheless, the MCIP will still immediately consider the submitted accounting documentation at a meeting of the Expert Commission on the Accounting of Cultural Heritage Objects,” said the head of the Ministry of Culture Rostyslav Karandeyev. At the same time, the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection of KCSA called the demolition of the house a “shocking situation,” and the mayor called the event a “cynical provocation.”
Law enforcement officers also joined the case, and criminal proceedings were initiated.
“Investigators of the Shevchenkivsky Police Department are investigating the incident under Part 2 of Article 298 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (Illegal search operations at an archaeological heritage site, destruction, destruction or damage to cultural heritage sites - ed.) All the circumstances of the incident are being established,” the police reported .
Later, articleswere added to the criminal proceedings: unauthorized construction (part 3 of Article 197-1 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and illegal actions with regard to seized property (part 1 of Article 388 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine). The owner of the building was notified of the suspicion.
The estate has been threatened with destruction on several occasions, and investigators, together with the prosecutor's office, have filed three motions with the court to seize the house and land plot in the framework of criminal proceedings, which were later canceled by the court at the request of the defendant's lawyers. The last time, on January 18 and February 19, a new seizure was imposed on the land plot and the house at the initiative of law enforcement officers, which was not canceled in court
Nevertheless, “on July 19, the 32-year-old owner of the building, being aware of the restrictions imposed by the court prohibiting any actions with the property, decided to destroy it.” To do so, the offender, according to police, “engaged a construction company, whose employees were instructed to dismantle the building.
Police investigators have now served the owner of the house a notice of suspicion under Part 1 of Article 388 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine - intentional damage and destruction of property seized by the court.
The register of property rights indicates that the building is owned by Yegor Sibilev (38%) and Mykhailo Grechko (owner of Turgenev Build LLC, 62%). Since February 27, 2024, the building has been under arrest by a decision of the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv.
On April 22, an extraordinary meeting of the Advisory Council for the Protection of Cultural Heritage was held at the city council , where a representative of the building's owner announced his readiness to restore the building and return it to the condition it was in before the damage.
The parties agreed to sign a memorandum between the owner, the Department of Cultural Heritage Protection, and community representatives.