News Feed

6:24 PM

Zelensky arrives at US Capitol for talks with lawmakers.

President Volodymyr Zelensky has arrived at the U.S. Capitol to hold private talks with Republican and Democratic leaders of the House and Senate, the Associated Press reported on Sept. 21.

6:12 PM

Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh authorities discuss 'reintegration' of local Armenians.

Azerbaijani officials held talks with the authorities of the self-proclaimed Nagorno-Karabakh, presenting Baku's alleged plans for "reintegration" of the region's Armenian population, the Azerbaijan State News Agency (AZERTAC) reported on Sept. 21.

5:34 PM

Sweden delivers 10 Leopard 2 tank variants to Ukraine.

Ukraine has received 10 Swedish variants of Leopard 2 tanks known as Stridsvagn 122, manned by Ukrainian crews trained in Sweden, the Swedish military announced on Sept. 21.

4:29 PM

Belgium considers sending F-16 jets to Ukraine.

Belgian Prime Minister Alexander De Croo said that the country's defense ministry will investigate the possibility of sending F-16 fighter jets to Ukraine, the Belgian public broadcaster VRT reported on Sept. 20.

4:05 PM

Reuters: First ship with Ukrainian grain arrives at Bosphorus through temporary corridor.

The Palau-flagged Resilient Africa bulk carrier, which is loaded with 3,000 metric tons of Ukrainian wheat, has arrived at the Bosphorus, Reuters reported on Sept. 21.

3:59 PM

Nagorno-Karabakh

Nagorno-Karabakh accuses Azerbaijan of ceasefire violation.

The Azerbaijani military has violated its ceasefire agreement and is continuing to attack Stepanakert (Khankendi in Azerbaijani), the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, Armenian media claimed on Sept. 21, citing the breakaway region's Interior Ministry.

3:58 PM

Governor: Russian attacks in Kherson Oblast kill 5, injure 10.

Russian forces launched multiple strikes against Kherson Oblast on Sept. 21, killing five civilians and wounding another 10, reported Governor Oleksandr Prokudin.

3:57 PM

Opinion

David Kirichenko: The continued menace of Russian disinformation

3:37 PM

Anti-tank mine kills 1, injures 1 in Mykolaiv Oblast.

A young man has been killed and another man wounded after their vehicle drove over an anti-tank mine in Mykolaiv Oblast, the State Emergency Service reported on Sept. 21.

3:27 PM

Explainer

Russia’s ‘peacekeeper’ act crumbles as Azerbaijan overwhelms Nagorno-Karabakh

3:11 PM

Ministry: Ukraine, Slovakia agree on grain trade system to replace ban.

Ukraine and Slovakia have agreed to create a licensing system for their grain trade, which could lift Slovakia’s import ban on certain Ukrainian products, the Slovak Agriculture Ministry told Reuters on Sept. 21.

1:29 PM

Finance Ministry: Ukraine receives $1.25 billion from US in grant funding.

Ukraine received a grant of $1.25 billion from the U.S. through the Multi-Donor Trust Fund of the World Bank, the Finance Ministry reported on Sept. 21.

12:54 PM

UK Defense Ministry: Lack of rotations likely one of key factors lowering Russian army’s morale.

The absence of regular rotations of units on combat duty is “highly likely" one of the key aspects contributing to the Russian army’s low morale and inability to carry out advanced training since the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, reported the U.K. Defense Ministry.

12:19 PM

Ukrenergo: First mass strike on energy infrastructure in 6 months.

The morning wave of attacks on Sept. 21 marks the first mass strike on energy infrastructure in six months, Ukraine's state energy operator Ukrenergo reported.

11:42 AM

Media: Ukraine strikes Russian air base in Crimea.

Ukraine launched an overnight attack on the Saky air base in Russian-occupied Crimea, sources in Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) told Ukrainian media on Sept. 21.

10:27 AM

Air Force: 36 out of 43 Russian missiles downed.

Russia launched 43 missiles during the mass wave of attacks on Ukraine this morning, of which 36 were destroyed by Ukrainian defenses, the Air Force reported on Sept. 21.

9:38 AM

General Staff: Russia has lost 274,470 troops in Ukraine.

This number includes 490 casualties Russian forces suffered just over the past day.

9:15 AM

Russia launches mass wave of missile attacks, 2 killed, 26 injured.

Russia launched a mass wave of missile attacks on Ukraine early on the morning of Sept. 21, killing two people and injuring at least 26 others. Air raid alerts were activated at around 4 a.m. in many Ukrainian oblasts and in the city of Kyiv.

8:07 AM

Albania joins the G7 declaration on 'security guarantees' for Ukraine.

In New York, President Volodymyr Zelensky and Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama have officially inked a joint declaration pertaining to Ukraine's aspirations for Euro-Atlantic integration, according to Ihor Zhovkva, presidential office deputy head.

7:56 AM

Governor: 5 injured in Russian attack on Cherkasy.

Russia launched a mass missile attack against Ukraine in the morning of Sept. 21, targeting a regional center of Cherkasy among other cities. Five people were injured, and at least one more person remains under the rubble, regional Governor Ihor Taburets said.

7:15 AM

ISW: Soldiers claim Russian military command gave instructions to launch ‘ill-conceived, unsupported’ counterattacks.

Institute for the Study of War in their Sept. 20 report analyzed a video appeal posted by the members of Russia's mobilized 1st Battalion of the 1442nd Regiment of the Altai Krai. The soldiers claimed that they abandoned their military equipment in the Klishchiivka area located seven kilometers southwest of Bakhmut after receiving orders from Russian military command to form an assault group and attack in the Bakhmut direction.

6:51 AM

Mayor: 7 injured following Russian attack on Kyiv.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said via his official Telegram channel that an 18-year-old and a 9-year-old girl were taken to the hospital after Russia unleashed a missile attack against Kyiv in the early hours of Sept. 21. Five others were reported wounded in Kyiv's Darnytskyi district after debris caused a fire at a gas station and shattered windows in the nearby two-story building.

3:39 AM

Russia claims 19 drones shot down over Crimea.

The Russian Ministry of Defense claims that a large-scale drone attack is occurring in Russian-occupied Crimea. Russia claims to have shot down 19 drones so far, and that explosions have been heard in Novofedorivka, Saky, Yevpatoriya, Dzhankoi, and Balaklava.

2:29 AM

Zelensky, Scholz meet in New York.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz in New York on Sept. 20 to discuss German aid to Ukraine and the situation at the front lines.

1:31 AM

Poland to stop supplying Ukraine with weapons.

Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki announced on Sept. 20 that Poland will no longer supply Ukraine with weapons as rifts over the import of Ukrainian grain products deepens.

MORE NEWS

Ukraine strikes Russian military base of drone operators

ISW: Ukrainian forces advance as Russian commentators complain of low supplies

General: Ukraine had only 1,500 soldiers in south when Russia launched full-scale invasion

US intelligence: 'Realistic possibility' that Ukraine can break through remaining Russian lines in 2023

watch us on facebook

News Feed

Edit post

Moscow Patriarchate to leave all premises of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

by The Kyiv Independent news desk March 10, 2023 10:18 PM 2 min read

Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on Feb. 15, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Yurii Stefanyak/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images)

This audio is created with AI assistance

The Ukrainian government terminated the agreement with the Russian-controlled Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) on the free use of religious buildings located in the Lower Lavra, a part of Ukraine's most significant Orthodox monastery.

The UOC-MP's church members must leave the Lower Lavra's premises by March 29, according to a statement published by Culture Ministry on March 10.

Earlier, the Ukrainian state didn't extend the Russian-affiliated church's lease of another part of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra called the Upper Lavra, starting the process of regaining control over the monastery.

In 2013, during the presidency of ousted Viktor Yanukovych, the Kremlin-linked patriarchate signed a lease agreement on the use of Lower Lavra's buildings in central Kyiv for an indefinite period.

President Volodymyr Zelensky's government started checking the legality of the UOC-MP's lease on the Lower Lavra in early December, finally concluding that the church had violated the contract's terms, the Culture Ministry's statement reads.

Apart from the Moscow Patriarchate, the premises of the Lavra are also used by a museum.

The UOC-MP has faced backlash in recent months due to its deep and long-standing ties to Russia, as well as the discovery of Russian passports, anti-Ukrainian propaganda, and stolen icons during nationwide raids on its religious sites. Searches have also taken place at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

Despite claiming independence from the Russian Orthodox Church in May and condemning the ongoing war in Ukraine, the UOC-MP remains subordinated to Moscow in the hierarchy of the Orthodox world.

On Dec. 1, Zelensky announced the start of a procedure to ban activities of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine.

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra ("pecherska" means "cave"), founded in 1051, is one of the first monasteries in Kyivan Rus. It belonged to the Ukrainian branch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople until 1688 when it was annexed by the Russian Orthodox Church.

Since 1688, the Lavra has been used for Russian imperial propaganda.

The independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine on Jan. 7 held a Christmas service at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra for the first time.

The Kyiv Independent news desk

We are the news team of the Kyiv Independent. We are here to make sure our readers get quick, essential updates about the events in Ukraine. Feel free to contact us via email with feedback and news alerts.

Support independent journalism in Ukraine. Join us in this fight.

Freedom can be costly. Both Ukraine and its journalists are paying a high price for their independence. Support independent journalism in its darkest hour. Support us for as little as $1, and it only takes a minute.