Suspicion of Russian espionage: police and SBU search monastery complex in Kyiv

The Pechersk Lavra complex in Kyiv is home to numerous Christian Orthodox churches, monasteries and museums. And apparently members of the Russian secret service. The Ukrainian security authorities are therefore conducting a search.

In the Ukrainian capital, the police and the security service SBU searched the famous 1,000-year-old Kiev Cave Monastery this morning. There is a suspicion of “subversive activities on the part of Russian special services,” the SBU said. The sprawling complex called Pechersk Lavra is home to numerous Christian Orthodox churches, monasteries and museums. Not only is it a valuable cultural treasure, it is also the headquarters of the Russian-backed branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church known as the Moscow Patriarchate.

The security service announced that systematic action would be taken against destructive activities by Russian special services in Ukraine. In this context, the monastery was also searched. This is aimed at preventing the use of the Cave Monastery as the “center of the Russian world,” the SBU said. There is a suspicion that the premises were used to house sabotage and espionage groups and foreign citizens, as well as to store weapons. The Ukrainian security service did not comment on the result of the search. The Moscow Patriarchate initially did not comment.

In May, the so-called Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate severed its ties with the Russian Church because of the invasion. She also condemned Patriarch Kirill, the head of the Russian Orthodox Church, for supporting what Russia has dubbed the special military operation in Ukraine.

In 2019, Ukraine received permission from the spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians worldwide to found a church independent of Moscow. This largely ended the centuries-old religious ties between the two countries. According to a 2020 survey, 34 percent of the Ukrainian population belong to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine – i.e. the main church. 14 percent are members of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Moscow Patriarchate.