UA Min. of Culture: Ostapenko Fired Over Weak Response to "Moscow spirit" in the Kyiv Lavra

Kyiv—Minister of Culture Mykola Tochytsky explained on his Facebook page why he dismissed the head of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, Maksym Ostapenko.

According to Tochytsky, the dismissal was “a response to a weak stance” in enforcing Law 3894 (which bans the UOC – Ed.).

“The fact that the Lavra should not harbor the Moscow spirit must be the central focus of the reserve director’s efforts. However, despite support from the Ministry for transferring the churches to the OCU, the results of a year under this director’s leadership do not meet the challenges to national security that Ukrainian society is currently facing.”

He further claimed that “Moscow priests desecrated the Lavra by turning it into a place for trading in faith and consumer goods.”

“Unfortunately, the real changes needed to free the Lavra from the entrepreneurial spirit of the Moscow Church have not occurred. The country does not have the luxury of waiting for an end to illegal commerce, unauthorized leasing, the unregulated presence of Moscow monks, and the continued destruction of heritage sites.”

The corresponding order No. 432-K was signed on May 21, 2025 by Minister Nikolai Tochitsky, Ostapenko said on his Facebook page.

The document states that the basis for dismissal was “improper fulfillment of the terms of the contract” of October 23, 2023. The decision was made on the basis of an official note by Vladimir Shornikov, the Director of the Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage.

Ostapenko said that the news about the dismissal was unexpected for him. According to him, there were no warnings or official comments on his work:

“While we were preparing a large-scale exhibition in the Lavra, I received the news, which was a surprise – I was dismissed from the post of head of the National Reserve “Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.”

He also noted that in recent weeks there was pressure and rumors spread about the behind-the-scenes struggle for control of Lavra. “Obviously, someone has become uncomfortable that we spoke aloud about the need to cleanse the Lavra of imperial narratives,” Ostapenko wrote.

This comment requires further explanation.

Ostapenko is by no means a friend of the UOC. He recently made some outlandish claims that the Lavra's style of iconography itself is "imperialistic," and attacking the monks for including depictions of St. Seraphim of Sarov—whom he calls the "patron saint of Russia's nuclear arsenal." That he implies these comments led to his termination seems to imply that he is accusing the Ministry of Culture of being sympathetic to the UOC—and the Russians themselves.

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