Korets, Rivne Province, Ukraine, June 26, 2025
Photo: inok.info
Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) conducted another search operation at the Holy Trinity Korets Convent in the Rivne Province on Tuesday, June 24, marking the latest in a series of investigations at the historic religious site.
The monastery, Ukraine’s only stavropegial monastery formally subordinated to the Russian Orthodox Church Synod and Patriarch Kirill, has been searched multiple times by Ukrainian authorities since the start of the war, reports the First Cossack Telegram channel.
“It sounds serious, but in fact the community is a group of Ukrainian nuns and workers who live an isolated independent life and have had no connection with the Patriarchate” since February 2022, the outlet writes.
Approximately 30 armed National Guard troops accompanied SBU officers during the operation. According to an eyewitness account, the search differed markedly from previous raids in its conduct. Officers behaved courteously and professionally, checking identification documents and examining personal phones and devices on-site before immediately returning them, rather than confiscating items for extended periods as had occurred in past searches.
As in previous operations, authorities searched the monastery’s libraries and confiscated several books “for verification.” Officers also inquired about weapons storage and engaged in what were described as polite conversations with residents.
Notably, SBU personnel recommended that the monastery transfer from the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Patriarch to “some other Local Church”—suggesting the Constantinopolitan, Polish, or other Orthodox jurisdictions, and even mentioning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), which Ukrainian authorities are attempting to ban.
The search concluded with authorities detaining one male worker for military conscription purposes. The man was later released after it was determined he is the father of four children, making him exempt from forced mobilization under Ukrainian law.
This raid follows a pattern of searches at the monastery that began in November 2022, when SBU officers discovered what they claimed were leaflets containing statements attributed to Pat. Kirill. However, monastery officials disputed the authenticity of these materials, noting they were allegedly found in a damp, unheated attic where papers would quickly become moldy. Analysis later revealed the leaflets contained a compilation of text fragments—some from genuine Pat. Kirill homilies from February 2022 and April 2014, but including at least one paragraph calling to “restore historical justice” that could not be traced to any authentic statement.
The Holy Trinity Korets Monastery, founded in the 17th century, sits in the historic town of Korets in western Ukraine’s Rivne Province.
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