MOSCOW, December 2. /TASS/. News about the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) registering a legal entity laying claims on the ownership of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery should be viewed in the context of the Kiev regime’s pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), Chairman of the Moscow Patriarchate’s Synodal Department for Society and Mass Media Relations Vladimir Legoyda wrote on his Telegram channel on Friday.

Earlier, press secretary of the OCU, Archbishop of Chernigov and Nezhin Yevstratiy Zorya reported that the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra had been registered as a monastery within the OCU. Its leader, Epiphanius (Dumenko) is now heading the monastery as a legal entity.

"It is obvious that the news of registering a new OCU legal entity with its name claiming the ownership of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra should be viewed in the context of the Kiev regime’s pressure on the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Systematic acts of intimidation, such as searches, detentions, provocations and threats at the highest level are part of an orchestrated campaign aiming to create an illusion of undermined people’s trust in the canonical Church in order to justify the subsequent lawlessness," the clerical official wrote.

According to him, the Russian Orthodox Church is keeping in its prayers those Orthodox Ukrainians who are "facing a real threat of losing their main holy site through a handover to schismatics."

The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is one of Russia's first monasteries and is the oldest monastery in modern-day Ukraine. It was founded in the 11th century. Currently, the monastery's territory covers over 20 hectares. Recently, Ukrainian law enforcement agencies conducted a series of raids against UOC churches, including at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) claims that "pro-Russian literature and millions in cash," as well as materials denying the existence of Ukraine" were found.