Maksym Ostapenko once again heads the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve

Maksym Ostapenko, who previously served as the Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, has been reappointed to this position by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. His return comes after he was dismissed in May 2025 and subsequently intended to appeal the decision.

According to the Fakty publication, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has officially appointed Maksym Ostapenko as the general director of the reserve. Deputy Minister of Culture Ivan Verbytskyi has already introduced him to the heads of the structural units.

It should be reminded that Maksym Ostapenko had already managed the reserve from 2023 to 2025. However, on May 22, 2025, he was fired on charges of “improper fulfillment of the terms of the contract.” Then-Minister Mykola Tochytskyi also criticized Ostapenko for allegedly not actively enforcing the law banning religious organizations affiliated with the Russian Federation. In response, Maksym Ostapenko announced his intention to appeal his dismissal in court.

The Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna emphasized that the new head of the Ministry is facing tasks of national importance. A key area will be the preservation of cultural heritage, which is an integral part of Ukraine’s national security. In addition, the new director general will have to strengthen the institution’s research activities and ensure transparency in raising patronage funds.

Tetiana Berezhna also expressed her gratitude to Svitlana Kotliarevska, who managed the reserve during a difficult period, and said that Kotliarevska would remain “working in a team, strengthening the development of the Ukrainian cultural sphere.”

Earlier, Maksym Ostapenko spoke about the main problems of the OCU in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The official is convinced that the OCU has too few monks to “revive Ukrainian Orthodox life” in the monastery. Ostapenko cited as an example the times when the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was under the control of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and had from 200 to 500 monks.