Demolition of the Zelensky Estate: The Supreme Court made a resonant decision (photo)
26 November 2024 18:28
The Supreme Court has recognized the destruction of the Zelenskyy Estate in Kyiv in July 2024 as legal. This was reported by activist and monument preservationist Dmytro Perov on his Facebook page, "Komersant Ukrainian" reports.
According to him, the relevant decision, after more than six months of deliberation, was made by a panel of judges headed by Andriy Rybachuk. In particular, the court recognized the issuance of urban planning conditions and restrictions on the reconstruction of the estate as legal. This is despite the fact that the building has been granted the status of a historical and architectural monument. According to the law, the only type of work allowed on monuments is their restoration.
Dmytro Perov emphasized that Judge Andriy Rybachuk once became known for helping Oleksandr Tupytskyi return to office in 2021. At that time, Rybachuk, as part of the panel of judges, overturned the Decree of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy on the removal of Tupytskyi from the post of President of the Constitutional Court on suspicion of committing a crime. In 2023, the judge also authorized construction on the territory of the Borzhava Nature Reserve.
What is known about the Zelenskyi estate in Kyiv?
Malina Manor, or Zelensky Manor, is a two-story building in Kyiv at 22 Oleksandr Konyskoho Street (formerly Turgenevska Street), built in the late 19th century of wood and lined with brick. It is one of the oldest buildings on Konys’koho Street and the last wooden building on the street.
The building was constructed in the late 19th century as the estate of the merchant and professor Vasyl Malinin. Vasyl Malinin owned the estate for at least twenty years. For four years (1911-1915), the family of a burgher and honorary citizen Yevhen Mykytyovych Zelensky lived in the manor.
Initially, the building was one-story. In the late 1980s and early 1990s, a mezzanine was added on top of it.
The Zelensky manor was demolished on July 19, 2024. The destruction of another historical monument in the city center stirred up the community. The next day, more than 1,000 people came out to the KCSA building. It became one of the largest protests for the preservation and protection of cultural heritage during Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.
on July 23, 2024, four days after the demolition of the building, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine granted the Manor the status of an architectural monument.
What preceded the demolition of the Zelenskyi Estate
The demolition began in 2021, but public outcry stopped the work. In early April 2024, activist and monument preservationist Dmytro Perov reported that the developer had covered the facade of the 1890 building with an information board claiming that the historical monument had no historical or architectural value, and that its preservation spoiled the city’s investment climate.
The activists claim that developers want to build a residential complex “Turgenev” on the site of the building.
on July 23, law enforcement officers served a notice of suspicion to Mykhailo Hrechko, a 32-year-old co-owner of the Zelenskys’ estate. The prosecutor’s office noted that despite the seizure of the historic building, the suspect engaged a construction company to dismantle the building.
It should be noted that at the end of October 2024, the Kyiv City State Administration announced that the owners would restore the Zelensky mansion at 22 Konys’koho Street, which they demolished in the summer, at their own expense. This will be possible after the investigation into the destruction of the historic building is completed.
