The Supreme Court of Ukraine has ruled to transfer the Eletsky Monastery in Chernihiv from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) to the management of the "Ancient Chernihiv" state reserve, TASS reports, citing Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture.  

The decision, made on January 16, 2025, rejected a lawsuit filed by the Chernihiv Diocese of the UOC, which sought to retain usage rights over the 12th–17th-century monastery. Earlier, in February 2023, the reserve had announced the termination of agreements regarding several religious sites, including the Eletsky Monastery, the Trinity Monastery, and the Transfiguration Cathedral. The administration demanded the buildings be vacated. The diocese appealed to the court, citing the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religious Organizations.  

Tensions escalated in October 2023, when armed individuals blocked access to three churches, preventing clergy and worshippers from entering. Subsequently, representatives of the Ministry of Culture closed these sites, citing the need for restoration.  

According to Natalia Rebrova, director of the "Ancient Chernihiv" reserve, the monastery and other confiscated churches will now be used for secular and cultural events. The relics of Chernihiv saints housed in the Trinity Cathedral remain under state control as museum exhibits.