Prime Minister Modi is scheduled to meet with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy at the Mariinskyi Palace, the president's official residence.

Aug. 23, 2024, 9:28 a.m.

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Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in Ukraine today.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy invited Modi to visit Kyiv.

Modi is the first Indian prime minister to visit Ukraine since the two nations established diplomatic ties in 1992.

Modi's seven-hour visit takes place during the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war and Kyiv's recent counteroffensive against Russia.

The meeting between Modi and Zelenskyy will be a face-to-face encounter where they will address bilateral matters of mutual interest.

India and Ukraine will also hold high-level delegation talks.

Prime Minister Modi's visit to Ukraine follows his high-profile trip to Moscow, where he engaged in extensive discussions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, just weeks prior.

Let's delve into the significance of Mariinskyi Palace, the venue chosen for the summit between the two leaders. What is its connection to India?

Let’s take a closer look:

Built between 1747 and 1755, the Mariinsky Palace was commissioned by Empress Elizabeth of Russia, as per Britannica.

Elizabeth was the daughter of Peter I The Great and Catherine I.

Situated on the right bank of the Dnipro River in Kyiv, the Mariinsky Palace holds a prominent location, as reported by the Indian Express.

The Verkhovna Rada, the Ukrainian Parliament, is right next to it.

The Mariinsky Palace, a masterpiece of Baroque architecture, was designed by the renowned architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, according to the Kyiv tourism website.

Rastrelli modelled his design on the palace of Alexey Razumovsky.

According to Indian Express, Elizabeth passed away before the palace underwent renovations.

Instead, Empress Catherine II, Elizabeth's niece-in-law, became the first high-ranking royal to reside in the palace.

Other members of the imperial family also used the palace as a residence.

It also served as residence of the Governors-General.

However, a string of fires left the palace ruined and abandoned for nearly 50 years.

In 1870, Emperor Alexander II commissioned architect Konstantin Mayevsky to rebuild the palace.

The architect used old drawings and watercolours as a reference.

The royal family owned the palace until the 1917 October Revolution.

According to Indian Express, the palace served as the headquarters of the Kyiv revolutionary committee during the Russian civil war from 1917 to 1920.

It was also converted into a museum.

Advertisement The palace suffered significant damage during World War II and subsequently underwent another period of reconstruction.

The palace remained in the possession of the royal family until the October Revolution in 1917. Image courtesy: guide.kyivcity.gov.ua The Tsar (City) Garden and Mariinskyi Park were developed around the palace.

The park was named after Maria Alexandrovna, the wife of Emperor Alexander II, who championed the park's construction.

It later became a designated place to hold ceremonial receptions.

“It represents the face of our nation,” city guide and historian Lyolya Filimonova told the Kyiv Post. “It's difficult for us to imagine its original construction as nothing remains untouched.”

The palace currently serves as the official residence of the president of Ukraine.

What about its Indian connection?

The palace is the location where the Oscar-winning song Nattu-Nattu from the film RRR was shot.

Advertisement Nattu-Nattu was awarded the best original song at the 95th Academy Awards in 2023.

The scene was filmed at the palace just before Russia's invasion of Ukraine.

Nattu-Nattu won the Oscar for best original song in 2023. The filmmakers initially intended to film the song in India but had to find an alternative location due to the arrival of the monsoon season.

According to Femina.in, the filmmakers were granted authorization to film at the location because Zelenskyy was an actor himself.

Advertisement Business Today quoted actor Ram Charan as stating that the song took 15 days to film on location.

Director SS Rajamouli shared with Vanity Fair, “I initially thought I would need to find an alternative location since it is the presidential residence. However, they assured me, ‘It's Ukraine, you can accomplish this task.’ I am truly grateful to the Ukrainian crew. The colors of the palace, its grandeur, and the spacious grounds for the dancers were perfectly suited for our vision.”

With inputs from agencies