Press release, 27.06.2019

Emilia Slabunova, Chairperson of the Yabloko party and MP of the Legislative Assembly of Karelia, submitted to the Karelian parliament a draft appeal to the Minister of Culture Vladimir Medinsky on improving the quality of restoration of cultural heritage objects.

Slabunova proposes to annually index the cost of restoration works on historical and cultural monuments. Now the cost is determined at 1984 rates, then it is indexed to the 2012 price level.

“Currently, the determining factor in choosing the winner of the auction is the lowest contract price,”  Slabunova said. “The organisation’s experience in working with monuments, knowledge of regional peculiarities and architectural traditions, the quality of previously completed restoration works are not taken into account. As a result, there are examples of destruction and distortion of monuments due to the works carried out by unqualified workers, allowing gross violations of the methodological and technological standards of restoration works.”

Slabunova also stressed in her address, the cost of round timber and freight has doubled in Russia’s North-West since 2012. In recent years, restorers have raised the issue of impossibility of conducting scientific restoration of monuments at current rates. According to Slabunova, this year, the situation in Karelia demonstrated that there were no bidders at the auctions held by state institutions.

The discussion of the legislative initiative will take place first at the relevant committee on 3 July, then at the plenary session of the Legislative Assembly on 12 July.