Patriarch Kirill of Moscow on Sunday slammed Ukraine's National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve's order to expel the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) clergy from the Kiev Pechersk Lavra monastery.

The Patriarch called on heads of local orthodox churches, Pope Francis, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and other religious leaders and representatives of international organizations to "exert all possible effort" to prevent the expulsion.

On Friday, Ukraine's National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Preserve announced that it had ordered monks of the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate to leave the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of the most important Orthodox Christian monasteries by March 29, claiming a breach of contract.

"The Reserve warns of the avoidance of the contract on March 29, 2023. In order to conduct the procedure of receiving and transferring the state property, the Monastery must vacate buildings and facilities that are state property and on the balance sheet of the Reserve," a statement read.

Ukraine's inter-institutional working group on religious organizations has allegedly registered a breach of contract on using state property by the Monastery, the Preserve claimed.

Ukrainian Ministry of Culture to audit Kiev Pechersk Lavra after evicting monks

In the same context, the Ukrainian Minister of Culture Alexander Tkachenko also confirmed that the Ministry will organize an audit of museum exhibits, including holy relics, in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra following the departure of representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

"I would like to stress for the record that further to real property, museum exhibits are also there - over 800 pieces, including holy relics that were transferred to monks for the use, so to say. There will be an audit in respect of them, to see how they are preserved," Tkachenko indicated.

The Russian Foreign Ministry warned in early February that Ukraine's persecution of the UOC could result in the largest intra-confessional conflict in modern European history.

It is noteworthy that in early January 2023, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree stripping 13 priests of the UOC of their Ukrainian citizenship.

On November 24, 2022, the Russian news agency Interfax reported that the Ukrainian Parliament registered a bill calling for the imposition of a nationwide ban on the UOC.

According to the European Solidarity Party, the bill would ban any institutions or organizations which are in part or totally affiliated to the Russian Orthodox faith from carrying out religious activities "in canonical, organizational and other issues."