The Ternopil Regional Prosecutor's Office is demanding that the Pochaiv Lavra be "returned" to state ownership

The Ternopil Regional Prosecutor’s Office has initiated legal proceedings to terminate, ahead of schedule, the agreement governing the use of the building complex of the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The office is demanding that the monastery complex be seized in favor of the state due to identified gross violations of cultural heritage protection laws.

A lawsuit seeking to terminate the 50-year agreement, signed in December 2003, has been filed with the Economic Court. The defendant in the case is the Pochaiv Holy Dormition Lavra of the UOC, and the Kremenets-Pochaiv State Historical and Architectural Reserve has been brought in as a third party on the plaintiff’s side. The basis for the legal proceedings was the results of inspections that documented unauthorized construction work on the property.

The prosecutor’s office’s case materials point to the unauthorized remodeling of the monastery cells and the bishop’s residence, which involved the demolition of interior walls and the creation of new passageways. In addition, the supervisory authority documented facade work and the application of new wall murals without the required approval from the Ministry of Culture. In light of this, prosecutors are insisting on the immediate cessation of use of the property and its return to state control.

As a reminder, it was previously reported that the State Service of Ukraine for Ethnopolitics and Freedom of Conscience (GESS) had officially notified the leadership of the Pochaiv Lavra of the need to sever ties with the Kyiv Metropolis of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and the Russian Orthodox Church. Otherwise, the agency is prepared to initiate legal proceedings to shut down the religious institution.