Zelenskyy proposes identifying the national shrines of the Ukrainian people and establishing liability for damaging them

On Independence Day, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy submitted two bills to the Verkhovna Rada aimed at introducing special legal protection for the national shrines of the Ukrainian people, as well as establishing liability for damaging them. UNN reports this, citing bills Nos. 15550 and №15551. 

Details 

Bill No. 15550, "On the Protection of the National Shrines of the Ukrainian People," proposes defining the concept of a "National Shrine of the Ukrainian People" as a cultural heritage monument of national significance and/or a World Heritage site that has universal value for the Ukrainian people and exceptional cultural, historical, scientific, or religious significance for the formation and consolidation of the Ukrainian people and the statehood of Ukraine. 

The document provides for adding 23 sites to the list of national shrines: 

• Saint Sophia of Kyiv (Saint Sophia Cathedral), Kyiv;
• Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Ensemble of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra), Kyiv;
• Chersonesus Taurica (Ruins of the city of Chersonesus), Sevastopol (Crimea);
• Pochaiv Lavra (Complex of Buildings of the Pochaiv Holy Dormition Lavra), Pochaiv (Ternopil region);
• St. George's Cathedral (St. George's Cathedral), Lviv;
• Monk's Mountain (Grave of the poet T. H. Shevchenko), Kaniv (Cherkasy region);
• Khan's Palace and the Great Mosque (Khan's Palace Complex), Bakhchysarai (Crimea);
• Dormition Cathedral (Foundations of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary), the village of Krylos (Ivano-Frankivsk region);
• Transfiguration Cathedral, Chernihiv;
• Sviatohirsk Lavra (Sviatohirsk Holy Dormition Monastery), Sviatohirsk (Donetsk region);
• Residence of the Metropolitans of Bukovina and Dalmatia, Chernivtsi;
• Lubart's Castle (Castle), Lutsk (Volyn region);
• Kamianets-Podilskyi Fortress (Fortifications of the City), Kamianets-Podilskyi (Khmelnytskyi region);
• Khotyn Fortress (Complex of Buildings of Khotyn Fortress), Khotyn (Chernivtsi region);
• Akkerman Fortress, Bilhorod-Dnistrovskyi (Odesa region);
• Carmelite Monastery, Berdychiv (Zhytomyr region);
• Palanok Castle, Mukachevo (Zakarpattia region);
• St. Elias Church (Church of St. Elias with a Bell Tower), the village of Subotiv (Cherkasy region);
• Skovoroda Estate (Memorial Complex of the philosopher and poet H. S. Skovoroda), the village of Skovorodynivka (Kharkiv region);
• Citadel of the Baturyn Fortress and Hetman's Palace (Detinets Settlement "Lithuanian Castle" and the Palace of K. H. Razumovsky), Baturyn (Chernihiv region);
• Kholodnyi Yar, the village of Melnyky (Cherkasy region);
• Zaporizhian Sich on Khortytsia (Historical and Cultural Complex "Zaporizhian Sich"), Zaporizhzhia;
• Site of the Battle of Kruty, the village of Pam yatne (Chernihiv region).

The draft law stipulates that a national shrine is subject to special protection and safeguarding.

For inclusion on the list, a cultural heritage site must have the status of a cultural heritage monument of national significance and/or a World Heritage site and meet at least two of the following criteria: 

• the age of the cultural heritage site exceeds 1,000 years; 
• be a prominent and unique site of the historical memory of the Ukrainian people, their spirituality and culture, the formation of the Ukrainian people and the statehood of Ukraine, and the consolidation of Ukrainian national and civic identity; 
• possess characteristics of unique and irreplaceable value to the Ukrainian people; 
• be directly connected with prominent historical, cultural, religious, military-political, or other important state-building events, and with the lives and activities of prominent individuals who played an important role in such events and made a significant contribution to the development of Ukrainian statehood, its spirituality, culture, science, education, and other spheres of social relations. 

A national shrine may be used for activities aimed at:

• forming and preserving the national memory of the Ukrainian people;
• promoting historical, archaeological, cultural, religious, architectural, scientific, and educational heritage of global and national significance; fostering civic resilience, civic-patriotic, and spiritual and moral education; 
• cultural, scientific, educational, and religious life; 
• the holding of ceremonies during state holidays, state celebrations, other important public events, and ceremonial and protocol events attended by senior state officials and high-ranking officials, representatives of foreign states and international organizations; 
• initiations and the taking of an oath; 
• the performance of a military funeral ritual; 
• the implementation of spiritual and psychological recovery programs for servicemen, military chaplains, members of their families, as well as persons discharged from military service who are war veterans or persons with special merits to the Motherland. 

The following list of national sanctities will be determined by the Council on National Sanctities, which is established by the President and will operate as an advisory and consultative body. 

Draft Law No. 15551 "On Amendments to the Criminal Code of Ukraine Regarding Strengthening Liability for Crimes Against the National Sanctities of the Ukrainian People" establishes liability for damage to national sanctities. 

Thus, the unlawful conduct of archaeological reconnaissance, excavations, and other land or underwater works at an archaeological heritage site will carry a fine of UAH 17,000 to UAH 51,000, or probation supervision for a term of up to two years, or restriction of liberty for the same term, with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years or without such deprivation.

For the intentional unlawful destruction, demolition, or damage of sites committed against the national sanctities of the Ukrainian people — imprisonment for a term of three to ten years, with deprivation of the right to hold certain positions or engage in certain activities for a term of up to three years or without such deprivation. 

In addition, Draft Law No. 15550 also establishes penalties for legal entities for violations of legislation on the protection of cultural heritage; in particular, for conducting any unlawful works that may cause or have caused damage to a national sanctity, a fine of UAH 850,000 to UAH 1.7 million will be imposed. 

It should be noted that both documents have been designated by the President as urgent. 

To remind you 

On August 15, President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy signed Decree No. 726/2026 "On the National Sanctities of the Ukrainian People," which provides for the creation of a separate status for unique sites of Ukraine’s historical, spiritual, and cultural heritage.