Head of Lavra Reserve Accused of Corruption

KYIV — Acting director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve, Svitlana Kotliarevska, has been accused of corruption and embezzlement of large sums of money.

The accusation was leveled by Denys Rozov, head of a charitable foundation named for Antony and Theodosius of Pechersk, according to reports from the UOJ’s Ukraine bureau.

According to Rozovm, Kotliarevska "engaged in criminal and corrupt activities.” Rozov stated that the foundation funded numerous projects of the Reserve during 2024-2025, including Kotliarevska's trip to London.

"She was provided with $36,000, and there is no accountability, which indicates possible embezzlement of funds by Kotliarevska, abuse of office, and fraud," Rozov stated.

The foundation is appealing to the Ministry of Culture, law enforcement, and the court with a demand to investigate the actions of the acting director of the Reserve.

The UOJ previously reported that Kotliarevska allowed clerics of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine into the Far Caves of the Lavra, despite her ongoing efforts to expel monks of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church—the monastery’s traditional custodians—from the grounds.

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