On 30 March 2023, multiple Ukrainian journalists were assaulted while covering the eviction of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, an Orthodox Church with ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a historic monastery complex in central Kyiv. Representatives of the Russia-affiliated Church were being evicted from the monastery following a government decision not to prolong the lease of the monastery’s churches and other buildings to the religious group, in the context of Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine, and due to allegations of the Church’s pro-Russian position in the ongoing war.
In one case, the head of the monastery, metropolitan bishop Pavlo Lebid, pushed Espreso TV journalist Valeriya Pashko away and prevented her from recording him, saying he had “not invited her” and did not want to speak with her. Pashko added that the head of the monastery mocked her in front of his followers, saying that “she does not resemble a human”. In another case, an unnamed Orthodox priest pushed Daria Nematian Zolbin, a correspondent for Ukraine’s public broadcaster Suspilne, when the journalist attempted to ask Lebid a question. The priest also forcefully removed a microphone placed on the camera used by Viktor Mozhoviy, the camera operator working with Nematian Zolbin. Moreover, an unnamed priest pulled and broke a phone charger held by Yan Dobronosov, a photo correspondent working for Telegraph, a Ukrainian online media outlet. Dobronosov claimed the priest’s actions were premeditated. An unnamed correspondent of the Ukrainian television station Channel 5 also claimed they were prevented from carrying out their work as a journalist at the monastery, wrote the National Union of Journalists of Ukraine (NUJU). In a comment provided to NUJU, correspondent of TV channel Pryamiy Andriy Solomka said an unidentified individual pushed him and his film crew while they were in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
On 1 April 2023, a court in Kyiv placed Pavlo Lebid under house arrest for two months for allegedly inciting hatred on religious grounds, as well as allegedly justifying Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
UPDATE: On 11 April 2023, a court in Kyiv received an official accusation formulated by prosecutors against a priest present at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, who was filmed pushing journalist Daria Nematian Zolbin, as well as forcefully removing the microphone from a camera used by operator Viktor Mozhoviy. If found guilty, the unnamed priest faces a fine of up to 50 tax-free minimum incomes of citizens, arrest for a term of up to six months, or restriction of freedom for a term of up to three years.