The Kiev church, which Zelensky wants to transfer to Polish Catholics, may not survive the winter
On June 1, 2022, the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv was to be transferred to the actual ownership of the Polish Roman Catholic parish of St. Nicholas. However, the Ministry of Culture, Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine, on whose balance sheet the temple is located, has not yet prepared all the necessary documents for its transfer. 
This was announced by the rector of the parish, Father Pavel Vyshkovsky.
“The situation is very critical; if repair work is not started urgently, the temple will not survive the winter. The parish community assumes all responsibilities for the restoration of the architectural monument. However, due to the delay in preparing the necessary documentation for the transfer of the temple, our hands are tied. And delaying leads to more and more destruction,” writes the abbot.
Let us remind you that on January 31, emergency work was completed in the church where a fire occurred in September last year. They were carried out using donations collected for the restoration of the architectural monument after the fire. However, the building continues to be in disrepair.
Currently it is surrounded by a fence because the roof and walls are crumbling. Some pieces can reach 100 kg, which makes it dangerous to be located directly under the walls of the church.
“When it rains, the roof leaks and the condition of the parquet deteriorates, and fungus constantly forms on the walls of both the central hall and the basement. The walls of the church are a brick structure reinforced with metal reinforcement. However, in places of collapse, it is noticeable that this reinforcement has been corroded and needs to be restored. Otherwise, the building will completely collapse,” the abbot laments.
“The first thing that needs to be done is the roof, because there is no point in doing anything else. The next stage is to save the floor, otherwise the parquet will simply rot,” the rector noted.
The condition of the church's electrical network is also in critical condition; exposed wires can be seen in some places. Actually, the situation with the power grid led to a fire in the church.
In addition, the building faced one problem - the metro, which runs directly underneath it. Due to vibrations, cracks in the church gradually increase, so during repair work it is necessary to install vibration insulation.
“Under the bottom of the subway. The historical information indicates that in the 50s, when this temple was listed as a national architectural monument, the construction of the metro began. The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, before the start of construction of the metro, canceled the status of “National Architectural Monument”, and after completion, returned it again. In addition, next to the Church there is a building that belongs to the older brother of Dmitry Tabachnyk, the former (vice) prime minister for Yanukovych, and later the minister of education. After digging a hole for the foundation, the condition of the temple worsened and the cracks increased,” Father Pavel said.
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