Lavra brethren file a statement with SBI against Minister of Culture
Mykola Tochitsky. Photo: the Ministry of Culture website
On May 26, 2025, the General Investigation Bureau of Kyiv received a statement from the brethren of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra regarding a criminal offense committed by the Minister of Culture, Mykola Tochitsky, reported the monastery's lawyer, Archpriest Nikita Chekman.
The statement indicates that, according to the claim, Tochitsky committed an offense under Part 2 of Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine, namely incitement of religious hatred committed by an official. The brethren assert that the minister committed the offense in a comment on his order dismissing Maksym Ostapenko from the position of General Director of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra".
As reported, Tochitsky stated that he dismissed Ostapenko due to insufficient efforts in the Lavra against the UOC. In doing so, he used offensive language. In particular, speaking about the monks of the UOC, he wrote that "there should be no Moscow spirit in the Lavra," that "Moscow priests have desecrated the Lavra," and that the country does not have time to wait for the "uncontrolled presence of Moscow monks and further destruction of monuments" to end.
Read also
OCU supporters stage provocation outside court hearing DESS lawsuit against UOC
While a Kyiv court was hearing DESS’s lawsuit against the UOC, OCU supporters poured an unidentified liquid on the ground as UOC faithful stood nearby praying Psalm 90.
TRC officers detain 52-year-old rector of two UOC churches in Uman Eparchy
Priest Mykola Yevtushenko was taken to a recruitment center to update his military registration records and undergo a military medical examination, after which his family was denied permission to see him.
Procession with relics of St. Avvakum of Cherkasy held in Cherkasy Eparchy
At the Lebedyn St. Nicholas Convent of the Cherkasy Eparchy, Metropolitan Anthony led the Liturgy and a procession with the relics of St. Avvakum of Cherkasy.
Bulgarian Church voices support for UOC ahead of DESS lawsuit hearing
Patriarch Daniel and hierarchs of the Bulgarian Orthodox Church sent letters to the court hearing the case seeking the dissolution of the Kyiv Metropolis, as well as to the Metropolis itself.
AR model to recreate UOC monastery and hetmans’ burial vault in Sumy region
An augmented reality model will recreate the UOC’s Hamaliivka Monastery, while Orthodox churches in Hlukhiv, Poloshky, Voronezh, and other communities will also be digitized.
French parliament bans social media for children under 15
Beginning September 1, children under 15 in France will be prohibited from creating social media accounts, while platforms will be required to verify users’ ages.