Kiev, May 13, 2026
Photo: lavra.ua
The canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church has been forced from yet another church at the Kiev Caves Lavra, as reserve workers cut locks and seized the Conception of St. Anne Church at the Far Caves yesterday.
Around 11:30 AM, workers from the state-run Kiev Caves Lavra Preserve broke into the church, according to Archpriest Nikita Chekman, a lawyer for the Lavra. “These actions cause serious concern, since they’re being carried out despite the fact that court proceedings between the Monastery and the Preserve regarding the use of the Lavra’s buildings and premises are currently ongoing, and final court decisions in the relevant disputes have not been made,” the lawyer stated, reports the Information-Education Department of the UOC.
Fr. Nikita noted the absence of any prior warnings or official notifications from the Preserve. “Taking advantage of empty premises, they break the locks, seize the church, and effectively bar the Monastery from access to the holy site. Only afterward do they send letters to the Monastery claiming that the monks voluntarily removed their belongings,” he said.
This is only the latest in a long series of actions against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church at the Lavra. Earlier this year, the Church was driven from the Near Caves, which were handed over to the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine,” which has absolutely no connection to the Lavra or its saints.
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine and other hierarchs and clergy of the UOC are currently allowed to serve only in the Church of St. Agapit, which actually sits outside the walls of the Lavra.
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