MOSCOW, July 27. /TASS/. The Primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine, is leading an all-night vigil in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on the occasion of the 1,035th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia, the UOC said on Telegram.

"Celebration has started in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on the occasion of the Memorial Day of Saint Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir and the 1,035th anniversary of the Baptism of Russia. On the eve of the holiday, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine is leading an all-night vigil on the square near the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The primate was accompanied by a host of hierarchs of the UOC and numerous clergy. The clergy of the Lavra also celebrated the all-night vigil in the church in the name of St. Agapit of Pechersk," the statement said.

The metropolitan plans to hold a divine liturgy on Friday, according to the statement.

In recent years, the Ukrainian government has made intense efforts to sideline the UOC, such as encouraging the transfer of its parishes to the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which was created in 2018 from two schismatic religious organizations. Local governments strip the UOC of the right to lease land under churches.