MOSCOW, March 30. /TASS/. Lawyers representing the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church plan to appeal to the Ukrainian Prosecutor General’s Office and international organizations including the UN and also file lawsuits over the unlawful decision of the government to cancel the decision on the lease of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, according to a statement that was posted to the UOC website on Thursday.

"Today, the government has grossly violated the rights of the UOC by rescinding the cabinet decree of 2013 on the transfer of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra facilities to the canonical church for use. This happened in violation of the norms of the law and the principle of legal certainty," the statement said. "The decisions of the Constitutional Court of Ukraine have determined that non-normative legal acts are acts of one-time application, their effect expires after their execution, and therefore cannot be canceled or amended by a state authority."

The lawyers noted that "in accordance with the constitution, decisions of state authorities, if they are inconsistent with the laws, are deemed invalid in accordance with the procedure established by law, and the matter should be taken to court, therefore lawsuits will be filed in court, along with an appeal to the Prosecutor General's Office of Ukraine and international organizations, and the UN will also be notified."

Earlier today, the Ukrainian cabinet canceled a decree of 2013 that transferred Lavra facilities to the UOC. On March 10, the management of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra museum announced the termination of the indefinite lease agreement with the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and ordered the monks of the UOC to leave the monastery by March 30. Metropolitan Pavel, the rector of the Lavra, stated that the monastery was transferred to the UOC by the order of the government, so the museum and the Ministry of Culture cannot decide on the use of its facilities by the canonical church.

On Thursday morning, numerous journalists gathered in the Lavra and filmed some footage. The monastery, as usual, held a morning service. The commission of the Ministry of Culture, which arrived to take stock of the Lavra’s assets, was not allowed to proceed by parishioners. As a result, the Kiev police started an investigation into obstructing the work of journalists in the Lavra, and the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Museum asked the police to open a criminal case into a crime provided for in a Penal Code article about the seizure of property, on account that the ministry’s commission was prevented from taking inventory of the assets.