Commission of the Ministry of Culture conducts "measurements" in Miletsky Monastery of the UOC in Volyn before future expropriation

In Volyn, a commission arrived at the St. Nicholas Monastery of Myletsk of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to conduct «architectural measurements.» Despite the correct behavior of the officials during the visit, the parishioners express serious concerns that these actions may be a harbinger of the expropriation of the monastery and its subsequent transfer to the OCU.

As it became known, the commission, headed by Vasily Gaiduk, conducted a detailed inspection and measurements of all the premises of the monastery — from the church to the cellars. Haiduk said that the official purpose of the visit was to «measure the buildings of architecture». It is noted that the officials behaved politely, and the head of the commission even talked to the brethren and parishioners, and also responded to the proposal of one of the believers to pray together in the church.

During the conversation with the parishioners, Haiduk said that all the collected documents would be handed over to the Regional Military Administration (RMA). Thus, the further fate of the shrine and its disposal will depend on the decision of the head of the Regional Military Administration Roman Romaniuk. The parishioners asked the officials to convey to the head of the Regional State Administration their request to extend the lease agreement. They emphasized that the monastery was restored from the ruins at the expense of the parishioners, without government assistance, and its fate will affect thousands of believers who have been praying here for generations.

Despite Haiduk’s appeals «not to take this visit pessimistically,» Orthodox Christians took the visit as an alarming signal. According to the believers, the measurements taken can be used to produce new technical documentation and title deeds. This, in turn, could serve as a basis for expropriation of monastery property, expulsion of the brethren and parishioners, and transfer of the monastery to the OCU. These fears are supported by the experience of other Ukrainian shrines and the statements of some MPs.

Earlier, Ukrainian MP Ihor Huz publicly threatened to evict the brethren from the ancient St. Nicholas Miletsky Monastery of the Volodymyr-Volyn Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Volyn. According to him, this is due to the expiration of the lease of the monastery buildings and the intention to transfer the monastery to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The religious community, for its part, declares the legality of its stay and readiness to defend its rights in court.