Volodymyr Zelenskyy met with Abraham Lotysh, a hierarch of the OCU

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy held a working meeting with Avraam Lotysh, an employee of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve and, concurrently, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. The parties discussed the restoration of the Cathedral of the Dormition and future plans for the monastery’s development with state support. The meeting took place on July 11, 2026, at the Office of the President.

During the event, Avraam Lotysh expressed special gratitude to the head of state for his personal oversight of the restoration work and his constant attention to the needs of the holy site. According to him, it was the authorities’ prompt intervention that made it possible to immediately begin the rescue of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

In turn, Volodymyr Zelenskyy assured the OCU representative of his intention to continue state support for the “revival” of the monastery. Avraam Lotysh emphasized that the head of state is deeply aware of the current challenges facing the Lavra and is ready to provide comprehensive assistance.

As a reminder, we previously reportedthat approximately 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 announced by Maksym Ostapenko, head of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, who noted that the issue of the monks’ continued residence must be resolved through the courts.