The Northern Commercial Court of Appeal, at a hearing on 12 November, dismissed the appeal lodged by the UOC Holy Dormition Monastery over the removal of obstacles to its use of the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church. The case concerns the monastery’s lawsuit against the National Preserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" regarding the legality of terminating the agreement for the use of religious buildings in the Upper Lavra.
The monastery’s representatives sought to challenge the ban. The court dismissed the appeal, according to a Telegram post by the monastery’s lawyer, Mykyta Chekman.
He said the team of lawyers is awaiting the full text of the ruling and will prepare a cassation appeal.
- In March 2023, the National Preserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" ordered UOC-MP monks to vacate all buildings and structures on the preserve’s balance sheet at two addresses. The reason given was violations by the monastery of the terms of use, as established by an inter-agency group.
- An audit found 36 illegal new buildings on the Lavra’s grounds. Pavlo, the abbot of the UOC-MP Holy Dormition Monastery, said he intended to "defend his rights to the very end" and not vacate the Lavra grounds. The then Minister of Culture, Oleksandr Tkachenko, said that the leadership of the Holy Dormition Monastery and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) should be the first to leave the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
- The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Metropolitan Epiphanius, said there was no question of closing the men’s monastery in the Lavra and called the relevant information a manipulation. He also noted that everyone who lives according to the requirements of the canons and the Tomos, rejecting Moscow’s unlawful authority, will be able to continue their ministry in the Lavra.
- Legal proceedings have been ongoing since 2023: the monastery is trying to challenge the eviction decision. The preserve said it is deliberately dragging out the case.
- According to LB, 17 judges have recused themselves from the case over the entire period.