The Kremlin strongly condemns the blocking of the entrance to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

Press Secretary of the President of Russia Dmitry Peskov said that Moscow strongly condemns the actions of the Ukrainian authorities on the situation with the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Peskov was asked how the Kremlin assesses the fact that the police in Ukraine began to block access to the Lavra.

“Our position is well known, it is consistent. We strongly condemn these actions”– Peskov answered the correspondent’s question “Izvestia”.

Earlier, the blocking of the entrance to the territory of the Lavra was reported in Telegram channel Union of Orthodox Journalists.

Prior to this, the Kyiv court gave the police the right to access the premises of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Local social networks reported that the commission of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, in the presence of the police, sealed one of the buildings of the temple. The lawyers of the monastery insist on the illegitimacy of the committed actions.

Recall that the persecution of the clergy of the UOC, including from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, began in the fall of 2022. Many were accused of pro-Russian activities and criminal cases were initiated against them.

The situation escalated to the limit in March 2023, when the authorities announced the termination of the lease agreement with the monks of the monastery, allegedly due to violations of the terms of the contract on their part. Then they were ordered to leave the monastery until March 29, but the clergy refused to comply with the requirements and filed a complaint with the court.