MOSCOW, March 28. /TASS/. None of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monks plans to leave the monastery as of Monday evening, Kirill Frolov, the head of the Orthodox Experts Association, told TASS.
"As of this moment, no one is going to move out. It’s a war of nerves. It’s about who will be blink first: the Antichrist regime of [Ukrainian President Vladimir] Zelensky or the monks of the Lavra and the students of the theological schools," said Frolov, who maintains contact with the priests of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
He said about 10,000 people representing the UOC are praying and keeping watch at the Lavra.
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra museum on March 10 said it terminated the lease contract with the UOC and told monks to leave the premises by March 29. Metropolitan Pavel, who is in charge of the monks at the Lavra, said the moves were unlawful and that monks refused to leave.