The "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" in Kyiv is burning after Russia launched another strike on the Ukrainian capital during the night of "June 15". As a result of the attack, the "Dormition Cathedral" – a historic temple and architectural monument included in the "UNESCO World Heritage List" – was hit. Flames engulfed part of the building, and icons and relics began to be removed from the Lavra to be saved from the fire.
According to the Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, "Maksym Ostapenko", the Russian side carried out "two targeted strikes" aimed specifically at the "destruction of the Dormition Cathedral". According to him, "one of the drones" hit the central part of the temple, causing serious destruction and a fire.
The second strike was aimed at the "Tower of John the Kustnik" and the building of the "Mystetskyi Arsenal" museum complex, which is located in close proximity to the Lavra. In this way, not only religious but also cultural infrastructure was affected, which provoked a sharp reaction from the Ukrainian authorities.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, "Andriy Sybiha", announced that the country would initiate "all necessary procedures" to achieve an international reaction to this act, which he defines as an "act of state barbarism". He emphasizes that this is an attack not only on Ukrainian territory but also on an object of world cultural heritage.
President "Volodymyr Zelenskyy" also reacted sharply to the events. He calls the strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra "one of the greatest Russian crimes against Christian culture". With these words, Zelenskyy places the attack in the context of Russia's broader destructive policy towards religious and cultural sites in Ukraine, emphasizing that this is a targeted encroachment on the spiritual and historical heritage of the country.