KYIV. Jan 4 (Interfax-Ukraine) — Serhiy Krolevets, former director of the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historic and Cultural Reserve, has not ruled out the possibility that the state of Ukraine may terminate lease agreements with the former Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate (UOC MP) in case of damage to the object under a lease.

"There is the owner of the property. Today it is the state of Ukraine. There is a tenant of the property… [In the lease agreement] there is always a clause that in case of damage caused to the object under lease the agreement may be terminated at the demand of either party," Krolevets told a press conference at the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine news agency on January 4.

He said that members of NGOs have registered a lot of violations in the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. In particular, he said that 16 new buildings have been built on premises of the reserve.

In her turn, lawyer Maryna Solovyova said there is a need to make amendments to the Ukrainian legislation that would not only increase but introduce criminal responsibility for damaging the monuments of the world and national cultural heritage.

As reported earlier, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine said that the Kyiv-Pechersk and Holy Assumption Pochayiv Lavras [monasteries] are the property of the state of Ukraine and have been leased for 50 years to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. However, if it turns out that there had been violations during the transfer of the monastery, the state represented by the Ukrainian Cabinet of Ministers may revise that lease agreement.