Since 01/01/2015, the palace has been under the management of a newly created legal entity – the so-called State budgetary "Institution of the Republic of Crimea Bakhchysaray Historical, Cultural and Archaeological Museum and Reserve".

The permit for the so-called restoration was issued on 07/05/2017 (see the document in attachment)

In October 2017, work began on the territory of the palace, which the Russian sources refer to in a number of ways: "priority emergency response", "repair and restoration" or "reconstruction".

The Big Khan Mosque undoubtedly required restoration, which had to not only secure the appearance of the monument but also preserve its authenticity.

UkrNDIprojectrestavratsia, the institute that was preparing the mosque restoration project back in 2014, came to the following conclusions:

- out of 22 roof beams (9.5 m long), 3 were due for replacement and one for restoration, 4 more beams due for additional reinforcement with angle bars on top; and 1 cross beam (9.5 m long) due for replacement;

- out of 82 floor beams (6.5 m long), 3 were due for replacement, 4 beams due for restoration, and 6 beams were due for reinforcement with angle bars.

These findings were confirmed during examination of the ceiling in 2015 and during the installation works on a temporary support structure over the entrance to the mosque from the side of the Churuk-Su river.

However, the occupants decided to dismantle and rebuild the roof and to apply regular construction norms to the cultural heritage site right at the planning stage.

Instead of restoring the individual elements of the historic roof of the mosque, a decision was made to dismantle the roof completely (photo 6). This was done not by restoration professionals but by regular builders (photo 7) who used heavy equipment (photo 8) and jackhammers, causing vibrations and extensive damage to the mosque walls (photo 9). The study of the dismantled elements of the roof beam system, showed that there was no need for complete dismantling, because almost 95% of the system was in sound condition (photo 10).

The construction operator would later decide to use modern building materials and technologies, which is unacceptable in cultural heritage sites. Most importantly, composite materials were used for beam structures and concrete mortars with metal reinforcement (photo 11 photo 12). The ancient handicraft barrel tiles (traditionally known as "keramet" or "tatarka") were replaced by the Spanish factory-made monk and nun tiles in imitation of antiquity. Clay-base tiling technique was replaced with modern fasteners (see the expert opinion of the Center for Monument Studies).

The contractor made no structural analysis for the additional load on the walls caused by the new structures (new beam system, reinforced concrete horizontal bond beam, etc.). Structural analysis of this factor is an absolute must for the operator preparing a restoration project. The walls of the Big Khan Mosque were built in 1533, therefore, all former studies of the state of the foundation, walls, materials and mortars used in the construction process, estimation of the effect of additional loads, etc. were intended to show the possible variability of materials for the restoration work.

Medieval construction technology is very interesting. It combines specific local ancient building traditions with the new trends, contemporary to the epoch. For example, Crimea is a seismic zone, therefore, in order to avoid earthquake damage, oak beams and a mixture of clay and lime mortar were used for the horizontal bond frame, thereby stabilizing the walls. The modern version - a horizontal bond frame of reinforced concrete - is heavier and lacks plasticity to external impact.

All operations carried out in 2017 and 2018 certainly made the structure heavier, and the concrete sped up the erosion of the rubble masonry of the walls. This lead to serious deformations. The stained-glass windows were destroyed (photo 13), the walls were covered with cracks. A crack also appeared on the eastern minaret of the mosque (which had a slight tilt prior to the operations) (photo 14).

Things have got worse due to the fact that the roof was dismantled in the autumn and winter period of 2017 and 2018, while the structure of the monument was not protected from precipitation. Polyethylene coating did not meet the most basic protection requirements and moisture got inside (photo 15).

Another great loss was the damage to the murals on the southern and western facades of the building (originally made by master Omer in the 18th century). (photo 16).

Construction operations and exposure to mechanical impact caused cracks on some of the gravestones of the Khan cemetery (photo 17, photo 18).

This kind of "restoration" under the occupant rule ultimately violated the aesthetic integrity of the object, its singularity, authenticity and its original appearance.

The so-called "emergency response" works continue on almost all sites across the ensemble of the Bakhchysaray Khan's Palace: the main building (roof dismantled, metal frame being installed), the Khan’s cemetery (archaeological works and restoration of two Dürbe tombs), the Pool, the Embassy and the Persian courtyards ("revitalization"), library building ("roof dismantling"), Falcon tower ("roof dismantling").

The palace square revitalization plan envisages installation of statues of animals, which is contrary to the cultural context of the monument (due to the aniconism in Islam). There are plans to demolish historic structures dating back to the 17th century.

Researchers recorded instances of Christian holidays held on the territory of the Khan's Palace, which, to a certain extent, contributes to the historical decontextualization of the cultural heritage.

The state of the Big Khan Mosque is not stable, with visible displacement of soil and the development of cracks .

By devaluing (albeit through rebuilding) the historical significance of the object, which is an important symbol for the indigenous people of Ukraine, the occupation administration carries on the with long-term strategy of the Soviet regime (the legal successor of which is the Russian Federation) aimed at wiping out the historical memory, changing the mindset and assimilating the Crimean Tatar ethnic group.

Under the procedural management of the Prosecutor's Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea and the city of Sevastopol, a pre-trial investigation is underway in a number of criminal proceedings on the facts of illegal prospecting and archaeological excavations, deliberate destruction and damage to historical monuments and cultural heritage in the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean peninsula constituting criminal offenses under Parts 1, 3 Article 298, Part 2 Article 201, Article 341, Article 356, Part 1 Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

Illegitimate bodies on the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean peninsula seized 32 real estate objects in Bakhchysaray comprising the monument of national importance Khan's Palace and part of the Bakhchysaray State Historical and Cultural Reserve. It has been established that deliberate destruction and damage to this historical monument is carried out by way of extensive works performed illegally.

The occupation administration is engaged in activities detrimental to the objects of national, cultural, ethnic and historical heritage in the temporarily occupied territory of the Crimean peninsula, as well as the national interests of Ukraine.

These activities constitute an offense under Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (violation of the laws and customs of war), since they are in direct violation of the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and its supplementary protocols.

Despite the numerous statements by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine  reports by the Director-General of UNESCOand UNESCO decisions demanding the Russian Federation to stop the construction works on the monument, to revert to unconditional fulfillment of their obligations in the field of protection of cultural property in accordance with international laws and to respect the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, the situation remains unchanged.