MOSCOW, March 10. /TASS/. Washington will not be able to "turn a blind eye" to the latest episode of Kiev’s persecution of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the Russian Foreign Ministry’s official spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, wrote on her Telegram channel on Friday, commenting on the looming eviction of UOC monks from the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Earlier on Friday, it was reported that a state-run cultural institution had ordered the monks to vacate the historic Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery by March 29, with "termination of the lease" cited as the reason. A document ordering them to do so was signed by the director general of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Historical and Cultural Reserve, which is subordinate to the Ukrainian Ministry of Culture.

"Has the Department of State been informed? Normally, a related division of the US foreign policy agency quickly responds to reports of religious persecution. This time, the United States won’t be able to turn a blind eye to the persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church," she wrote.

Founded in 1051, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is one of the original monasteries of Kievan Rus, located on the territory of modern-day Ukraine. The vast complex of buildings is divided into two major areas. The Lower Lavra territory, housing the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery and the residence of the metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, is held in perpetuity by the UOC. However, the Upper Lavra section of the sprawling complex, which includes the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church, remained under the control of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Historical and Cultural Reserve, and was leased by the UOC. The lease expired on December 31, and the cultural reserve’s management refused to renew it. On January 7, the head of the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epiphanius (Dumenko), held his first service at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Recently, the Ukrainian authorities have waged a campaign against the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church. UOC churches across the country are regularly raided, while priests are charged with subversion and treason.

On December 1, Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky put into force a decision of the National Security and Defense Council that was effectively aimed at banning the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. In particular, the president issued instructions to submit a bill to the Verkhovna Rada (Ukrainian parliament) for banning "religious organizations affiliated with centers of influence in the Russian Federation" and scrutinizing the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s governing charter for signs of canonical ties with the Moscow Patriarchate.