The SBI launches investigation against SSU officer over abuse of power at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

On June 2, 2025, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court of Kyiv upheld a complaint filed by representatives of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and ordered an investigator from the Territorial Office of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) in Kyiv to enter the relevant information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations.

According to Lavra’s lawyer, Archpriest Mykyta Chekman, the case concerns an investigation into an alleged abuse of authority by a Security Service of Ukraine (SSU) officer who is part of the commission inspecting and assessing the historical and scientific value of the relics of saints kept at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

The court found the complaint by the religious community to be substantiated, as they consider the actions of the SSU representative to have exceeded legal authority and potentially constitute a criminal offense.

The SBI is now required to initiate a pre-trial investigation.

Earlier reports also mentioned a conflict in Chernivtsi between entrepreneurs at the “Cheremosh” radio market and the OCU community, which owns the land where the market is located. The entrepreneurs claim they are being pressured by the church and have appealed to the city council for permission to continue operations until the end of the war.