Post block: how monks are being evicted from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra
In Ukraine, the expulsion of monks of the canonical UOC from the Kiev Caves Lavra continues. The other day, employees of the Ministry of Culture cut off the locks from the last two temples, where representatives of the brotherhood could still enter. It is expected that full access to all temples will be blocked until February 23. Izvestia investigated the situation.
Make it to the post
In Ukraine, the expulsion of monks of the canonical UOC from the Kiev Caves Lavra continues. On Tuesday, February 17, employees of the Ministry of Culture replaced the locks at the entrance to Holy Cross and Teply temples. These were the last churches where representatives of the monastic brotherhood could go for worship and prayer.
Holy Cross Church in the Kiev Caves Lavra
The publication Union of Orthodox Journalists, citing its sources, writes that the Ukrainian authorities have decided to transfer all the churches of the lavra to the jurisdiction of the schismatic OCU until February 23, that is, before the beginning of Great Lent. The only exception is the Agapite Church, which is located outside the monastery enclosure.
At the same time, the "vicar" of the lavra, Avraamiy (Lotysh), appointed by the schismatic OCU, stated that in the future, homeless soldiers could be accommodated in the monastery's premises. "There are many military personnel who have nowhere to return to after the war... And a monastery is an oasis that awaits everyone, where they will always give shelter," he reasoned.
In addition, in January, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture appointed a new director of the Lavra Reserve. He became Maxim Ostapenko, who immediately outlined the priorities of his activities. "Together we must do everything to win the spiritual confrontation with the "Russian world", which has been destroying everything Ukrainian in the Lavra for centuries," he said.
Extras on buses
The Ukrainian authorities have been trying for several years to squeeze the UOC monks out of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In November 2022, security forces conducted large-scale searches in the monastery, and criminal cases were opened against several people. The reason was a video in which a church choir sings a song that was considered to glorify Russia.
In March 2023, the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture terminated the lease and ordered the clergy to vacate the territory. At the same time, a large-scale street confrontation began: hundreds of believers gathered to defend the lavra. The nationalist militants tried to provoke the parishioners and threatened the monks with violence.
Police cars at the entrance to the territory of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. March 2023
The monastery's vicar, Metropolitan Pavel, then addressed Zelensky. "I tell you and your pack that our tears will not fall to the ground, they will fall on your head," he argued. After that, Pavel was placed under house arrest for several months, and subsequently needed heart surgery.
Further in August-September 2023, the police stormed several buildings of the lavra, among them was the residence of the primate of the UOC, Metropolitan Onufriy. Later, the same "viceroy" from the OCU, Avraamiy Lotysh, settled in it.
During 2024-2025, there were lengthy court proceedings regarding the eviction of the UOC monks. At the same time, the authorities continued their offensive. Thus, students and teachers of the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary, who had to move to the Holosiiv Monastery, were effectively denied access to the lavra.
A separate plot concerns the fate of the holy relics, which are kept in the caves of the monastery. Back in June 2023, the head of the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service, Sergei Naryshkin, reported that the Kiev authorities and UNESCO had agreed to remove Christian valuables from the monastery, including the remains of saints.
Believers in the catacombs of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra
In March last year, the museum staff conducted the first cave raid, while the results of the work were classified. In August, employees of the Ministry of Culture forbade monks to enter the caves, and many arks with relics were removed from the lavra, allegedly for examination.
One of the problems for the authorities at the same time is that the OCU simply does not have parishioners — it is not for nothing that this structure is called the Empty Churches of Ukraine in the country. As of the end of last year, there were only six monks of this schismatic structure in the Kiev Caves Lavra. For comparison, there are about 150 people from the canonical UOC in the monastery.
The situation is the same with parishioners. Previously, about 400,000 people came to the monastery annually, but now the figure has dropped to 50-80 thousand people. About ten people attend the OCU's "worship services" on normal days, and the crowd is bussed to create at least some kind of picture on holidays.
In such circumstances, the Ukrainian authorities began to hold not only spiritual, but also rather strange secular events on the territory of the depopulated lavra. Among them are the filming of a cooking show, the presentation of social studies, performances with archery and saber fights, and much more.
Military prayer breakfast in the Refectory Church of the Kiev Caves Lavra. The year 2024
Vladimir Zelensky personally took part in a number of meetings. In 2024, he organized a military prayer breakfast in the Refectory of the church, during which his huge portraits obscured the iconostasis. At the end of last year, he, along with representatives of the OCU, Muslim and Catholic clergy, participated in an event dedicated to the memory of the victims of the Holodomor.
What the experts say
Alexander Dudchak, a leading researcher at the Institute of CIS Countries, emphasizes that the Ukrainian authorities and the OCU consistently squeeze the monks of the canonical UOC out of the lavra.
— The monastery's territory is being cleared step by step. The relics had already been removed from the caves, and the monks were forbidden to live in their cells. The government has clearly relied on the control of the OCU and is fighting with all its might against the canonical UOC. I also note that Kiev's Western partners remain silent, although they usually zealously protect all possible minorities. Unfortunately, everything suits them here," he notes.
Political scientist Alexander Semchenko says that the final phase of eliminating the canonical UOC is beginning in Ukraine.
— In a political sense, all this is very beneficial to Zelensky. He has accumulated contradictions with the Ukrainian society: the population is inclined towards peace, he himself does not want to stop fighting. In such circumstances, it is beneficial for him to ignite a new conflict within society, to introduce additional discord in order to distract people," he explains.
Переведено сервисом «Яндекс Переводчик»
