Former director of Kyiv Cave Monastery National Reserve boasts of cooperation with OCU and courts against UOC

Svitlana Kotlyarevska, who has been acting as the Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve since May 2023, has announced her resignation. In a statement posted on her Facebook page, she summarized the key achievements of her 9 months in office, emphasizing significant progress in cooperation with the OCU and in the conduct of legal cases against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

Kotliarevska paidspecial attention to the fruitful cooperation with the OCU. Under her leadership, “historical prayer services of the clergy led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epifaniy were organized, first in the Far and then in the Near Caves of the Lavra, near the relics of the reverend fathers.” A set of measures was also taken to “preserve the remains of the saints” in the Near and Far Caves.

A “quantum leap” was achieved in the area of court cases concerning the reserve. According to the ex-manager, the court rejected all the groundless motions with which the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) tried to delay the process.

Earlier, we reported that Maksym Ostapenko, who previously held the position of General Director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, was reappointed to this position by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. His return came after he was dismissed in May 2025 and subsequently intended to appeal the decision.