A meeting between the team of the Mission and representatives of the Karaite community of Kharkiv was held in the city. The event focused on discussing the current situation of the community, the preservation of its cultural heritage and religious identity, as well as the challenges it faces amid the ongoing war and the temporary occupation of Crimea.

Representing the Mission, the meeting was attended by Yevhen Bondarenko, Head of the Information Department, and Yana Novalenko, Chief Consultant of the Department for the De-occupation and Reintegration of Crimea. The discussion also involved Oleksandr Yalpachek and Oleksandr Makhlaiev, Deputy Heads of the Kharkiv Karaite Religious Community, Iryna Monza, Legal Consultant, as well as community members Myryna Orak and Olha Babenko.

During the conversation, special attention was given to the history of the formation of the Karaite community in Kharkiv, which dates back to the early 20th century. Most of its members are Karaite families who arrived from Crimea, settled in the city, established a community, and built a Karaite kenesa, which to this day remains an important symbol of religious and cultural life.

Today, the Karaite kenesa is owned by the religious community of the city of Kharkiv. It is in need of major restoration and reconstruction, as during the Soviet period it was used for purposes unrelated to its original function, resulting in a significant loss of architectural authenticity. The building also suffered additional damage during the full-scale aggression by the Russian Federation: shelling in the area caused impact near the kenesa, leading to the partial collapse of historic elements.

A separate point of discussion focused on the need to restore the religious and cultural heritage of the Karaites, including work with archives, the study of sources, traditions, and rituals. Community representatives emphasized that the inaccessibility of the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea significantly hinders these efforts, as Crimea is the historical homeland and a crucial repository of many unique elements of Karaite culture.

The participants agreed on the importance of continued cooperation to protect the rights of the Indigenous peoples of Ukraine, preserve religious sites, support the development of archival and research initiatives, and strengthen national unity amid the ongoing full-scale war.