In the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, employees of the "reserve" forcibly opened the locks in the monastery buildings

A new wave of confrontation between the administration of the National Reserve and representatives of the monastery was recorded in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. on March 24, 2026, the museum staff, without waiting for final court rulings, took violent actions to restrict the monks’ access to their living and working premises. Archpriest Nikita Chekman, a lawyer of the UOC, said this on his Telegram channel.

According to the priest, the administration of the reserve demanded that the monks immediately vacate building No. 42 and the second floor of building No. 41, handing over the keys to representatives of the museum. However, the officials did not wait for voluntary compliance and cut the locks on the buildings themselves. Archpriest Nikita reported the fact of illegal actions, emphasizing that such measures are an instrument of pressure on the brethren.

Lawyers representing the monastery claim a gross violation of the law. According to them, there is currently no court decision that has entered into force that would give the right to evict the monks. The lawyers emphasize that the actions of the reserve’s employees violate the rights of believers to housing and religious activities enshrined in the Constitution of Ukraine and the European Convention on Human Rights.

Law enforcement officers were called to the scene of the incident to record the offenses. Currently, the monastery’s legal service is preparing statements about criminal offenses in connection with illegal interference with property ownership.

Earlier, we reported that the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine transferred the first two buildings on the territory of the Lower Lavra to the representatives of the OCU for free use. We are talking about the 49th and 70th buildings — the residences of the Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine and the Chancellery of the Kyiv Metropolis.