The acting director of the Reserve, Maksym Ostapenko, said in an interview with Ukrinform that he hoped that the Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary representatives would “voluntarily” leave the territory of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and remove their property before September 11.

Ostapenko emphasized that Kyiv Theological Academy and Seminary has no grounds to be on the territory of the Lavra. The spiritual educational institution will be able to “exist within the Lavra” if the Ukrainian government so determines.

According to him, the Reserve is not a power structure, and therefore he expressed hope that representatives of the spiritual schools would “voluntarily” vacate the four occupied premises.