Kyiv police raid developer, owner of demolished historic manor house

Kyiv police have launched investigations into the owner of the historic mansion at 22 Konyskoho Street, which was demolished on 19 July, and the construction company that carried out the dismantling.

The proceedings relate to the illegal demolition. The attackers did not have the appropriate permits, but used heavy construction equipment to destroy the seized house, law enforcement officials said.

‘It should be noted that the police and the prosecutor's office have applied to the court three times to seize the land plot and the building at the specified address. However, at the request of the lawyers of the owners of the house, the court cancelled it. For the last time, on 18 January and 19 February, on the initiative of the police and the prosecutor's office, a new arrest was imposed on the land plot and the building with a ban on any actions,’ the statement said. 

Demolition of the estate

The mansion was built in the 19th century by order of the merchant Vasyl Malin. It is a brick-built wooden building, one of the oldest on the street. The Zelenskyy family of wealthy bourgeois citizens had lived here since 1911, and the building has been named after them ever since. 

Visually, the building was in good condition, but they wanted to build a second phase of the residential complex in its place, and even named after the Russian writer Turhenev, after the street's former name. 

The building was demolished on 19 July. The estate did not have the legal status of a monument, nor did it have the status of a newly discovered cultural heritage site, said acting Minister of Culture Karandeyev. However, according to the Historical and Architectural Reference Plan of the city of Kyiv, the house is located in the historical area and is recognised as a significant historical building called the ‘Manor House’ of the second half of the nineteenth century.

Kyiv residents expressed their indignation at the destruction of another historic building at a rally near the Kyiv City State Administration. The city authorities are looking for those responsible for the incident elsewhere: Klitschko called the demolition of the estate a ‘cynical provocation’ and advised the protesters to go to the Verkhovna Rada and the government instead. Karandeyev, on the other hand, explained that Zelenskyy's estate was not included in the register of monuments for only one reason: The Kyiv City State Administration did not submit the necessary documentation. 

On 22 July, the Kyiv mayor said that the city would sue the owner of the building and the developer, and demand that the estate be rebuilt as it was.