About 140 monks and novices of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church remain at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, according to the head of the reserve

About 140 monks and novices of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church continue to reside on the grounds of the Lower Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, despite the termination of the agreement with the monastery. This was reported by Maksym Ostapenko, head of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, who noted that the issue of the monks’ continued stay must be resolved in court.

Ostapenko made the statement during a briefing held by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine. According to him, it is difficult to determine the exact number of people residing on the grounds of the Lower Lavra, as monks and representatives of the monastery “come and go.”

The head of the reserve clarified that after the site was seized in 2023, representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church provided a list of approximately 140 people who were on the Lavra’s grounds. At the same time, as Ostapenko emphasized, the relocation of people residing there under a contract is possible only by court order.

The legal proceedings between the state and the UOC monastic community have been ongoing for about three years. According to the source, the case is currently before the appellate court and has not yet been considered on its merits. Ostapenko expressed hope that the court will be able to put a definitive end to this dispute.

As a reminder, MaximOstapenko previouslyspoke about the main problems facing the OCU at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The official is convinced that the OCU has too few monks to “revive Ukrainian Orthodox life” at the monastery. Ostapenko cited as an example the period when the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was under the control of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and had a monastic community ranging from 200 to 500 members.