European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen visited the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

On July 15, 2026, as part of the “Ukraine–Southeast Europe” summit, a delegation of European leaders led by Ursula von der Leyen visited the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The purpose of the visit was to assess the damage and the progress of restoration work at the Cathedral of the Dormition, which was damaged in a drone attack.

According to , the official website of the OCU, the visit took place on Ukrainian Statehood Day. In addition to the President of the European Commission, the delegation included the leaders of Moldova, Serbia, and Romania. Representatives of the Ukrainian government, including Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, as well as the reserve’s administration, conducted a tour for the high-ranking guests.

As a reminder, we previously reported that the Synod of the OCU officially confirmed the status of Epiphanius Dumenko as the head of the religious organization “Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Men’s Monastery) of the OCU” as its “sacred archimandrite,” thereby removing from the position of abbot of the monastery an employee of the “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” National Reserve, Avraam Lotysh, who had received this position in exchange for betraying the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.