The Minister of Culture Announced a "Turning Point" in the Case of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

A turning point has emerged in the process of returning the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to full state control. Ukrainian Minister of Culture Tatyana Berezhnaya stated that the government intends to put an end to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s attempts to defend its rights in court and to conclude the “protracted proceedings.” According to the publication “Telegraf,” the expropriation process has been delayed solely due to the “need to comply with democratic norms and the rule of law.”

According to Tatyana Berezhnaya, the state’s strategy clearly provides for the Lavra’s full transfer to the ministry’s control. “As a lawyer with 11 years of experience, I believe that bringing this case to a close is an entirely achievable goal,” the minister emphasized. She also announced her intention to personally attend the upcoming court hearings to defend the position of the ministry and the National Reserve against attempts to “drag out the process.”

At the heart of the legal dispute are the lease agreements between the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Assumption Cathedral and the Refectory Church of the Upper Lavra. According to the reserve’s administration, the terms of these agreements expired on December 31, 2022, after which there were no longer any legal grounds for representatives of the UOC to remain there. Meanwhile, the Northern Economic Court of Appeal in Kyiv has postponed consideration of another appeal filed by the UOC’s lawyers until November 3. The reserve’s legal team views its opponents’ motions as a deliberate attempt to delay the court’s final decision.

In parallel with the case involving the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the ministry is working on the issue of the status of the Pochaiv Lavra. Berezhnaya noted that the president had initiated a bill on national shrines, which is currently under consideration in the Verkhovna Rada. This document is intended to establish a clear legal framework guaranteeing that all significant historical and religious sites will serve the interests of Ukrainian culture and statehood.

As a reminder, earlier, OCU cleric Georgy Kovalenko commented on the current situation surrounding the eviction of monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, emphasizing that legal proceedings were being deliberately delayed. According to Kovalenko, the monastic community of the UOC should be dealt with “under wartime laws,” and only then should the legality of such a decision be addressed in court.