The decision to house arrest the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel, is an attempt to replace the abbot of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) with a defector appointed by the schismatics, while keeping the monks in place. This was explained to RIA Novosti by one of the inhabitants of the Lavra.

According to him, Kyiv is trying to keep the monks in place by appointing a new governor. “This is important, because who will plow? If they leave, the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) has no monks at all. Well, 200 people for the whole "church". In the Lavra alone, 200 people live and even more,” he said.

On March 29, the head of the OCU, Metropolitan Epiphanius, appointed Archimandrite Avraamy (Lotysh) as Acting Viceroy of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Immediately after that, Lotysh was banned from serving by the decree of Metropolitan Onuphry (Berezovsky) of Kyiv and All Ukraine, the head of the UOC.

On April 1, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) accused Metropolitan Pavel of inciting religious hatred and working for Russia. On the same day, the court placed him under house arrest, forbidding him to attend church services.