MOSCOW, April 13. /TASS/. Opponents of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) are planning to stage a provocation near the walls of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra on Thursday evening, the Union of Orthodox Journalists has said.

According to its sources, the opponents of the UOC are going to hold an assembly at the foot of the monastery’s walls. Its function is unclear. The UOC added that parishioners will gather at the monastery at the same time for an outdoor prayer.

Supporters of the UOC have been coming to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra for two weeks now to support the monks who have been ordered to leave the monastery. On Thursday, they gathered again near the monastery's walls. According to the Orthodox Journalists’ Union, UOC opponents and journalists are also near the monastery.