Kyiv Lavra lawyers file complaint with NABU against Reserve authorities

NABU headquarters. Photo: images.unian.net

On June 9, 2025, a legal complaint was filed with the National Anti-Corruption Bureau of Ukraine (NABU), accusing officials from the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy and the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve of criminal misconduct. As Archpriest Mykyta Chekman reported on his Telegram channel, the complaint was submitted on behalf of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

The attorneys allege that the officials’ actions bear signs of crimes under Part 5 of Article 191 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine (misappropriation of property) and Part 2 of Article 210 (misuse of budgetary funds).

The basis for the complaint is a report by Ukraine’s Accounting Chamber, which found that from 2020 to 2023, the Ministry and the Reserve administration committed:

• Inefficient and improper use of up to 30 million UAH in state funds;
• Systematic violations of budgetary legislation;
• Erratic funding of cultural heritage sites, leading to the dilapidation of dozens of buildings within the Lavra.

Despite these findings, representatives of the Ministry of Culture and the Reserve have publicly claimed – both in court and in the media – that the lease agreement with the monastery was terminated due to the alleged poor maintenance of the Lavra by the religious community. However, the Accounting Chamber's report points to administrative failures by state officials as the true cause of the deteriorating condition of heritage sites.

The Lavra’s legal team hopes NABU will promptly launch a pre-trial investigation and issue a legal assessment of the actions that have led to the degradation of a national treasure.

As previously reported by the UOJ, a Ukrainian court recently overturned the illegal mobilization of a UOC clergyman.

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