Case No. 910/423/23 is a claim by the religious organisation the court’s decision names "Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra / Male Monastery / of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church" against the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra". The claimant asked the court to remove obstacles to using the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church under agreements No. 1-b and No. 2-b of 17 June 2016. The Commercial Court of Kyiv dismissed the claim on 13 June 2023; per the court register, the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal is hearing the appeal.
Espreso reported that on 29 September the court rejected the latest motion by UOC representatives to postpone the hearing. According to the Reserve’s lawyer, it had two grounds: new lawyers had joined and said they had not studied the materials, and the monastery had sent the Reserve a letter proposing to extend agreements that, in his words, had long expired; in his view both only delay the case. RISU, citing Espreso, reported that the session was later interrupted by an air alert.
On 26 August, Interfax-Ukraine reported, a UOC representative applied to recuse the panel; after a break the court refused the applications. A UOC lawyer wrote on Telegram that recusal was sought over what he called gross procedural violations, among them not notifying the monks, third parties in the case, of the session while continuing the hearing. The Reserve’s director general Maksym Ostapenko and its lawyer told the agency that UOC representatives were trying to drag out the case; the Reserve’s lawyer tied the recusal to that.
According to the agency, the judge told the claimant’s and appellants’ representatives that they should be interested in a speedy hearing, but that he saw no such conduct, since they file motions at every hearing. Interfax-Ukraine reported that a recess was first set until 10 September, but the UOC’s lawyers said that day did not suit them because of a hearing in another case; the judge then announced a recess until 14:00 on 29 September.
Sources: Interfax-Ukraine (hearing) and (statements), 26 August 2026; Espreso and RISU, 29 September 2026; court register: ruling of 26 August 2026 and decision of 13 June 2023.
