"Parishioners" brought to Lavra by buses on Epifaniy's name day, media

Clergy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine walk towards buses parked near the Lavra on May 12, 2026. Photo: Telegram channel "Fortress Lavra"

On the name day of OCU head Epifaniy Dumenko on May 12, 2026, near the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a large number of buses were spotted, which, according to media reports and eyewitnesses, were used to bring participants of the festive service to the monastery. According to information from the Telegram channel "Fortress Lavra", there were at least 13 buses at the monastery, some of which were parked closer to the Paton Bridge to avoid attracting attention.

After the service ended, people headed en masse to the buses and soon left the monastery grounds. According to eyewitnesses, among those who arrived were both laypeople and OCU clergy. Some buses, according to media reports, arrived from the Zhytomyr region.

The authors of the publications note that it's not the first time that transportation of people for OCU events at the Lavra has been organized. According to them, "the people who were brought in stood through the service, appeared on media cameras, and then dispersed," while the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra itself continues to be used as a "stage set" for events organized by Dumenko’s structure.

As the UOJ reported, on this day, the National Reserve staff cut off the locks and forcibly seized St. Anna's Conception Church at the Far Caves of the Lower Lavra.

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