Fire at St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv: Main Version, Restoration Decision and Business Help

Representatives of major businesses have each allocated 1 million UAH for the church's repair.

On the night of September 4, the Catholic St. Nicholas Church caught fire in Kyiv. The fire was extinguished in less than an hour, and the building's load-bearing floors were not damaged. The church's structure is not under threat.

We explain what is known about the situation as of the latest update: the main version of the cause of the fire, the authorities' decision to restore the church, and businesses allocating funds for repairs.

Cause of the Fire

As reported on Facebook by Interior Minister Denys Monastyrskyi, the main version of the fire at the Kyiv St. Nicholas Church is currently the ignition of electrical wires inside the wooden body of the organ.

He said police are considering all possible versions of the fire. After reviewing footage from internal and external surveillance cameras, questioning witnesses and conducting an expert examination, it will become clear exactly what happened.

However, the main version at this point is the ignition of electrical wires inside the wooden body of the organ, which was more than 40 years old.

It is known that the fire started during a late rehearsal on the organ. Smoke came out of it, and then it was engulfed in flames.

Monastyrskyi also stated that church workers did not call rescuers right away, instead trying to put out the fire on their own, which cost important minutes.

Denys Monastyrskyi
Interior Minister of Ukraine

Rescuers responded instantly and were on the scene just 6 minutes after the call. To be frank, if not for their professional actions, we would have lost one of Kyiv's most beautiful architectural monuments, just as Paris lost the ancient Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.

Consequences and Decision to Restore

Monastyrskyi already told journalists at the church that the load-bearing floors of St. Nicholas Church were not damaged. “The load-bearing floors were not damaged. That is, the church's structure is not under threat,” the minister said.

Culture and Information Policy Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko, who also arrived at the church, noted that emergency and restoration work at the church should have started several months ago, but the tender was blocked.

Tkachenko also said that as a result of the fire, the organ was damaged, some rooms near the organ were affected, and a chandelier fell.

At the same time, the ministers expressed certain confidence that the church will be fully restored.

Help from Business

Tkachenko later reported on Facebook that a number of businessmen had allocated funds for the restoration of the damaged church, so part of the amount needed for emergency work is already available.

Oleksandr Tkachenko
Culture and Information Policy Minister of Ukraine

The fire at St. Nicholas Church has united Ukrainians. We are receiving messages and calls from across the country with offers of help for the church... We understand that full restoration of the church will cost tens of millions of hryvnias. The same goes for restoring the organ. 

The minister said the funds were transferred by Rozetka founder Vladyslav Chechetkin, monobank co-founder Oleh Horokhovskyi, co-owner of the TIS terminal group and the P&O Maritime Ukraine towing company Andriy Stavnitser, Alfa-Bank chairwoman Viktoriya Mykhailova and former Minister of Economic Development Tymofiy Milovanov.

As the media later learned, entrepreneurs Chechetkin, Stavnitser, Horokhovskyi and Mykhailova allocated 1 million UAH each for the restoration of the building. 

The minister attached bank details to the post for anyone wishing to join the fundraising for the church's restoration. He also explained that all funds received into the accounts of the National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine have a designated purpose and cannot be used for anything else, including even salaries or tours.