The Ministry of Culture allowed the transfer of the "Afghan" church of the Lavra to the OCU
The Ministry of Culture is ready to consider transferring the temple-monument to Afghan war veterans in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to the OCU – Vice Prime Minister Berezhna announced this in the Verkhovna Rada.
The Ministry of Culture will consider the issue of transferring the Resurrection Church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to the OCU, which is also called the "Afghan" church, as it is dedicated to soldiers who died in Afghanistan. This was stated by Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Culture Tatyana Berezhnaya during a session of the Verkhovna Rada on June 12, 2026.
People's Deputy Sergey Rudyk addressed the official with a corresponding appeal. According to him, the Luhansk Eparchy of the OCU is forced to conduct divine services in the Cyril Church, but staying in the temple costs them 100,000 hryvnias. According to him, this is expensive for "displaced persons from Luhansk."
Rudyk demanded either to reduce the cost or provide the OCU with an alternative – the Resurrection Church of the Lavra. The deputy did not specify why displaced persons from Luhansk cannot attend any other OCU church in Kyiv. He also inquired why the "Moscow church" uses this facility under a lease agreement from 1995.
In response, Berezhnaya stated that the Ministry of Culture is seeking "equal" access to such buildings: so that paid services remain accessible. She reminded about "good precedents" of transferring Lavra buildings for OCU use and emphasized that new transfers require building audits and a complete package of documents.
"I have recorded your question regarding this specific facility," the minister said, adding that in her opinion, the issue can be "considered and resolved."
Earlier, the Union of Orthodox Journalists wrote that the authorities allowed the OCU into Kyiv's Cyril Church. Dumenko announced that it would be the "management center of the Luhansk Eparchy." The Cyril Church is under the jurisdiction of the state reserve "Saint Sophia of Kyiv." Since 2011, the Cyril Men's Monastery of the UOC operated here. The agreement with the Ministry of Culture expired on January 30, 2025. Officials refused to extend the lease for the monastery.
