Criminal case opened against Lavra's acting head after meeting with Dumenko
A Kyiv court has ordered police to investigate the actions of Kotliarevska after her discussion with the OCU on “cleansing” the Lavra of UOC monks.
On June 3, 2025, the complaint filed by the brotherhood of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was upheld regarding the failure to enter information about a violation against the monastery into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, reports the Lavra’s attorney, Archpriest Nikita Chekman.
A Kyiv court has ordered the Podil District Police Department to enter into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations a report of a criminal offense allegedly committed by Svitlana Kotliarevska, the acting general director of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve. According to the monastery’s legal representative, the offense took place during Kotliarevska’s meeting with Epifaniy Dumenko.
It should be noted that during a meeting between the head of the OCU and Kotliarevska, they discussed the “cleansing” of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra from representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The monks regard such statements as incitement to religious hatred (Article 161, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and a threat to the rights of UOC believers who remain at the Lavra.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that a criminal case was also opened against an SBU officer for his activities in the Lavra.
