Kyivan Rus era caves discovered in Kyiv

At Kyiv's Voznesensky Descent, archaeologists found an ancient cave complex dating back to the times of Kyivan Rus. It consists of four separate caves, only two of which have been discovered to date. Dmytro Perov, a conservationist and expert at the Center for Urban Development, reported this to Radio Kultura.

Inside a cave at Voznesenskyi Descent in Kyiv. Photo: Facebook/Dmytro Perov

According to him, the caves had been first found next to the house, which the authorities recognized as unsafe in 1979 and started to dismantle it.

"I have been to that place only a few times: the front wall of the house remained, and when I passed there, I involuntarily paid attention to it, to the facade, which remained hidden in bushes. But three months ago, I found out that there were plans to build up this area: there was a draft decision of the Kyiv City Council to transfer this area for development. So my friends and I decided to go on a small expedition and look for caves," said Dmytro Perov told Radio Kultura.

Entrance to a cave at Voznesenskyi Descent in Kyiv. Photo: Facebook/Dmytro Perov

Perov says that the further fate of the site and the find is still unknown, although the Kyiv City Council has postponed a decision on permission for its development.

Pottery shard found in a cave at Voznesenskyi Descent in Kyiv. Photo: Facebook/Dmytro Perov

"On Saturday, together with the Institute of Archaeology, we conducted the first archaeological explorations in the Voznesensky Caves... It was possible to find the first historical artifacts. Now, in the northern part of the cave, fragments of pottery from the Late Rus' era were found. Obviously, here, on the slopes outside the city walls, could have been an ancient settlement. [We] also managed to explore the lower cave complex, which is twice as long as the previously discovered passage and has a series of radial branches," he wrote on Facebook.