New head of Lavra Reserve lets Dumenko into Near Caves
Dumenko in the Near Caves. Photo: OCU
On January 22, 2026, the reinstated director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve, Maksym Ostapenko, permitted Epifaniy Dumenko and his colleagues to hold a “liturgy” in the Near Caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
Dumenko “served” in the underground church dedicated to Anthony of the Caves.
As a reminder, immediately after Ostapenko’s dismissal in May 2025, the OCU press service published a critical piece regarding his work as director. In that material, Dumenko’s team accused Ostapenko of aiding the activity of “structures of the Moscow Patriarchate.”
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