Podcast in English
Text size
Bulgarian National Radio © 2025 All Rights Reserved

Ukrainе orders Russian-aligned Orthodox church to leave the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery

 Ukrainian officials ordered a historically Russian-affiliated wing of the Orthodox Church to leave the 980 year-old Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery by the end of the month. The monastery, also known as the "Russian Jerusalem", was founded in the 11th century under Prince Iziaslav I of Kyiv. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was subordinate to the Patriarch of Constantinople. Nowadays, it is a center of Orthodox pilgrimage, under the jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 2000.

The Ukrainian culture ministry said the Ukrainian Orthodox Church had been ordered to leave the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, because " it violated the terms of the agreement regarding the use of state property", but did not give any details.

However, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) says it has severed its ties with the Moscow Patriarchate, and is the victim of a political witch hunt. Since October last year, Ukraine’s Security Service has carried out searches at UOC churches, imposed sanctions on its bishops, and initiated criminal proceedings against dozens of its clergymen. The authorities said they had found pro-Russian literature on church premises. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church denied the allegations.




Последвайте ни и в Google News Showcase, за да научите най-важното от деня!
Listen to the daily news from Bulgaria presented in "Bulgaria Today" podcast, available in Spotify.

More from category

Light precipitation is expected in the southern regions of the country

During the night, the sky will be mostly clear over most of the country. There will be more significant cloudiness over the southern regions and in some places light precipitation is possible. On Friday, it will be mostly..

published on 8/14/25 7:10 PM

Bulgarian services dismantle Spain-to-Turkey drug trafficking ring

An organised criminal group trafficking drugs from Spain and the Netherlands to Turkey has been dismantled by the State Agency for National Security (DANS) and the General Directorate for Combating Organised Crime (GDBOP). The leader of the group and..

published on 8/14/25 5:29 PM

Six European countries help Bulgaria fight fires

Last week, Greece, Spain, Bulgaria, Montenegro and Albania activated the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to help them deal with forest fires, many of which are occurring simultaneously across Europe, the European Commission announced...

published on 8/14/25 4:50 PM