Lavra Director Ostapenko: UOC (MP) reps abusing Ukrainian judicial system
Director General of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve Maksym Ostapenko and the reserve's attorney Ivan Prokopenko allege that representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) to drag out the appeals process in the case brought by the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra of the UOC (MP) regarding the illegality of the unilateral termination of the lease agreement.
Lavra Director Maksym Ostapenko and reserve attorney Ivan Prokopenko have accused Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) representatives of abusing the Ukrainian judicial system to delay the appeals process in the case brought by the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The case, which began in 2023, centers on the illegality of the unilateral termination of the lease agreement for Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
Ostapenko highlighted the third anniversary of the case and the ongoing war, expressing his disappointment at the lack of a court ruling on the return of the Assumption Cathedral to state use. Prokopenko claimed that the UOC (MP) representatives aim to prolong the proceedings to reach the stage of ruling on their motion, and thus far, the court has not heard the case's merits.
In March 2023, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve terminated the lease agreement with the Holy Dormition Monastery of the UOC (MP), and in August 2023, the Kyiv Commercial Court ruled that the termination was lawful. The legal battle has since moved to the appellate court, with the last hearing postponed until September 29, 2026.
Written by urgent.news from Interfax-Ukraine's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
