Ministry of Culture official says if Lavra monks will be forcibly evicted

Acting Minister of Culture of Ukraine Rostislav Karandeev. Photo: suspilne.media

The acting Minister of Culture Rostislav Karandeev allowed the option of forced eviction of monks of the UOC from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. He said this in an interview with Telegraf.

At the same time, Karandeev noted that among the Lavra monks, there are those who "are not collaborators and do not commit anti-Ukrainian activities". Therefore, he said, "it is necessary to communicate with all of them, to act carefully and be based solely on official documents and court decisions".

The acting head of the Ministry of Culture also said that now the work is being done "to list the property that was once at the disposal of the monastery".

He noted that the authorities' task is "to stop the use of the objects of the Reserve by the monastery and return this property to the use of the state."

"Already several objects have been transferred to the Reserve. We expect this process to continue in the future and eventually the task will be fulfilled," Karandeev added.

As reported, the Reserve demanded that the Lavra hand over the relics of the Caves saints.

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