Case opened against SBU officer for actions at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
Security forces near the Lavra caves. Photo: UOJ
On June 2, 2025, the Shevchenkivskyi District Court launched a pre-trial investigation against an officer of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) who had assisted the Ministry of Culture's commission in inspecting the relics of saints in the caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, according to Lavra attorney Archpriest Mykyta Chekman.
The investigation was initiated at the request of representatives of the Lavra.
According to the lawyer, the court ordered an investigator from the General Bureau of Investigations in Kyiv to “enter the information into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations and begin a pre-trial investigation into the abuse of power by the SBU officer involved in the commission evaluating the presence and historical/scientific value of the saints’ relics.”
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Lavra brotherhood had filed a complaint against the Minister of Culture with the State Bureau of Investigations (SBI).
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