Criminal case opened against Lavra's acting head after meeting with Dumenko

Lower Lavra. Photo: Telegram channel “Lavra Now”

On June 3, 2025, the complaint filed by the brotherhood of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was upheld regarding the failure to enter information about a violation against the monastery into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations, reports the Lavra’s attorney, Archpriest Nikita Chekman.

A Kyiv court has ordered the Podil District Police Department to enter into the Unified Register of Pre-Trial Investigations a report of a criminal offense allegedly committed by Svitlana Kotliarevska, the acting general director of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve. According to the monastery’s legal representative, the offense took place during Kotliarevska’s meeting with Epifaniy Dumenko.

It should be noted that during a meeting between the head of the OCU and Kotliarevska, they discussed the “cleansing” of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra from representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The monks regard such statements as incitement to religious hatred (Article 161, Part 2 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine) and a threat to the rights of UOC believers who remain at the Lavra.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that a criminal case was also opened against an SBU officer for his activities in the Lavra.

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