On the website "Glavcom", public figure of the movement for the preservation of historical buildings of Kyiv, MP of the 8th Convocation Ihor Lutsenko raised the issue of returning the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to the state, which is now in the use of the UOC-MP.
Source: Glavcom
"The right of the Russian Orthodox Church (ROC) to completely manage the Lavra was formed in the era of late Yanukovych, in the summer of 2013, just a couple of months before the Maidan. The Cabinet of Ministers of Azarov officially transferred to the use of the UOC – MP a number of key shrines of the Lavra-in particular, near and far caves.
To this day, it is not known what the fate of the huge number of relics that are there is – and whether they are still there. However, it is known that both before the official transfer of caves and temples to the Russians and after the transfer, they actively rebuilt the Lavra, in violation of monument protection legislation, without meeting resistance either among the structures of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine or Kyiv law enforcement agencies.
The frenzied construction activity of the Russian Orthodox Church is an indisputable reason to take the objects of the Lavra back to state ownership because they are distorted every day – their historical appearance is distorted, illegal structures and extensions are being built, and individual monuments actually cease to exist altogether," Ihor Lutsenko writes.
According to him, 15 minutes of consideration of this issue at the next meeting of the Cabinet of ministers is enough de jure for a legal solution to the problem. A simple vote – and the corresponding decree of the Azarov government is canceled, the list of real estate objects is returned to the disposal of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra".
The activist expressed regret that the current president's entourage has not yet developed competent people who are able to solve such a problem.
"I think most Ukrainians would like to see the Lavra owned by Ukrainian structures, for example, the same national reserve, but it is unlikely that by ourselves we are able to organize large and lengthy rallies in support of the Cabinet's decision to return the property to the state. After all, people from all over Ukraine will be brought to the defense of the current pro-Moscow owners of the Lavra-there are financial resources for this and the motivation of thousands and thousands of parishioners of the Russian Orthodox church. With the right approach, he will not be hindered by mass actions of supporters of the Russian Orthodox church, or any other forms of resistance from Russian-backed forces. But this requires coordinated actions of the Ministry of Culture and law enforcement officers," Ihor Lutsenko says.