Reserve staff cut off locks in two monastery buildings at the Lavra
The administration demanded that the monastery brethren vacate the premises and hand over the keys, despite the absence of any court rulings that had entered into legal force.
On March 24, 2026, the National Reserve launched another wave of pressure on the brethren of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, demanding that two buildings be vacated and unilaterally replacing the locks. Archpriest Mykyta reported the unlawful actions of the officials on his Telegram channel.
The museum administration sent the monastery a letter ordering the monks to completely vacate Building No. 42 and the second floor of Building No. 41. The document required them to remove their belongings and hand over the keys to representatives of the reserve. However, museum staff did not wait for the order to be carried out and opened the premises themselves. A lawyer described these actions as a forcible restriction of access to the brethren’s property and cells.
The attorney stressed that court disputes over the monastery’s right to remain at the Lavra are still ongoing and that there is not a single legally binding ruling ordering eviction at this point. “Cutting off and replacing the locks is a direct unlawful interference with possession of property,” the lawyer said. In his view, the officials grossly violated the believers’ rights to housing and to the practice of religious life, as guaranteed by the Constitution of Ukraine and the European Convention on Human Rights. Police were called to the scene, and lawyers are preparing criminal complaints.
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the reserve itself had acknowledged that the “revival of monasticism” at the Lavra took place under the UOC.
