A Russian drone struck a UNESCO World Heritage site in the Ukrainian capital late Sunday night, June 14, igniting a large blaze.
The Kremlin’s attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra caused fire damage to the Assumption Cathedral, also known as the Dormition Cathedral, which is the central church in the monastery complex.
Officials at the monastery, who released these videos of the fire, described the site as “one of the most significant spiritual and cultural monuments in Ukraine and for all of humanity.”
They also noted that it was the second time the monastery had been damaged by a Russian strike since the full-scale invasion in 2022.
A spokesman for the Orthodox Church of Ukraine called it “another Russian crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity,” and referred to the Kremlin to the “antichrist.”
The archbishop of the monastery said monks, clergy, workers and first responders managed to save numerous sacred objects, including shrines and icons, as the fire was taking hold on the roof.
The attack came as Russian forces targeted several areas of Kyiv, with the State Emergency Service (SES) reporting direct strikes on several apartment blocks, warehouses, and commercial buildings. Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said emergency crews were responding to at least 50 locations.
At least four people were killed in the strikes and at least 25 were wounded, the SES said.
Russian strikes also targeted other Ukrainian cultural and historical sites including the National Film Studio in Kyiv that night and the Kharkiv Art Museum, where authorities reported six people were injured, including a baby, earlier on Sunday. Credit: Tetyana Berezhna via Storyful