A court on Thursday ruled against the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, giving the green light to the government to begin forcibly evicting monks from the historic monastery in the heart of Kiev. 

“We are listening to a short text of one of the most shameful decisions in the history of modern Ukraine!” Nikita Chekman, an attorney representing the UOC, said on his Telegram channel. 

“remove obstacles to the use of property” by evicting the monks. On Wednesday, the same court ruled that the government had every right to terminate the lease with the UOC.

Founded in 1051, the Pechersk Lavra (‘Monastery of the Caves’) is considered the most prominent Orthodox Christian site in Ukraine. Officially, it is the property of the Ukrainian state, but the UOC has administered it under the terms of an agreement signed in 2013.

“violated” the terms of the deal and ordered them to leave the Lavra. Zelensky called the eviction “a move to strengthen our spiritual independence” and accused the UOC of being a tool of Russia. 

honoring Ivan Mazepa, a cossack leader who fought on the Swedish side in the fateful Battle of Poltava in 1709, and was excommunicated as a traitor.

outright ban the UOC in favor of the OCU. Russia has accused Ukraine of persecuting the canonical Orthodox church and the US for tacitly approving Kiev’s actions.