Kyiv court orders Monument Protection Society to vacate Lavra's Building 19

Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: Wikipedia

The Northern Appeal Economic Court has ruled that the public organization "Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments" (UOOPIK) must vacate building No. 19 of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, as reported by the Ministry of Culture.

Thus, the court granted the appeal filed by the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" and overturned the previous decision of the Economic Court of Kyiv dated June 19, 2023.

Now, UOOPIK must remove all obstacles to the use of building No. 19, located at: Kyiv, Lavrska Street, 9, building 19. This building is also known as the hotel block of the Lavra and is recognized as a local architectural heritage site.

The history of this building began in 1996 when it was transferred to UOOPIK for gratuitous use. It was planned to house the funds of the National Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of Ukraine. However, in April 2023, the Ukrainian government, following a proposal from the Ministry of Culture, adopted resolution No. 359, which revised the lease conditions for the premises of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. This resolution canceled the previous decision regarding the transfer of building No. 19 to the public organization.

The Ministry of Culture stated that UOOPIK was supposed to renew the lease agreement in 2014 according to the transitional provisions of the Civil Code of Ukraine, but the organization did not do so, continuing to use the building based on a now-declared void agreement.

Additionally, the Ministry noted that in 2022, a departmental commission identified several organizations that, according to the Reserve, unjustifiably obtained the right to use premises in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra free of charge, including UOOPIK.

As reported earlier, the director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve, Maksym Ostapenko, stated that full access to the Lavra is restricted due to ongoing legal disputes with the UOC.

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