A Kyiv court has imposed a pretrial restraint on the former acting Minister of Culture, who attempted to evict monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

The Pechersky District Court of Kyiv has ordered nighttime house arrest as a pretrial measure for Rostislav Karandeev, the former acting Minister of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine. The official is suspected of organizing illegal schemes, and the question of appealing this court decision will be considered after a detailed review of the case materials.

According to the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, citing the publication pravda.com.ua, this procedural decision directly concerns a figure who previously held a key position in the country’s cultural ministry.

It should be recalled that in 2024, while serving as head of the ministry, Rostislav Karandeev repeatedly made statements about the need to evict the monastic community of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The current criminal investigation, in which the official faces charges, is linked to uncovered instances of misconduct within the ministry.