Russian Strikes Kill 11, Set Kyiv’s Historic Lavra Cathedral Ablaze

A massive Russian missile-and-drone barrage killed 11 people across Ukraine and set fire to the 11th-century Dormition Cathedral at Kyiv’s Pechersk Lavra, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.

More than 60 of those missiles were aimed at the capital alone, Zelenskyy said. Across Ukraine, Russia fired 70 missiles and 611 drones overnight.

He said 53 people were wounded nationwide, 35 of them in Kyiv. Five rescue workers were killed in Kharkiv, where nine others were injured.

The State Emergency Service extinguished the fire on the cathedral’s roof, according to Zelenskyy. He called the strike “one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date.”

One of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date. — President Volodymyr Zelenskyy

Zelenskyy said it had been confirmed that two Russian drones deliberately targeted the part of Kyiv where the Lavra and the Mystetskyi Arsenal are located. A building at the Mystetskyi Arsenal also caught fire, and crews have since put out the blazes at both sites, he said.

In Kharkiv, Russia carried out a repeat strike on rescuers as they worked at the site of an earlier attack on an industrial facility, Zelenskyy said. In Dnipro, strikes hit the grounds of a railway station, a college and several enterprises.

The Kyiv, Dnipro, Donetsk, Zaporizhzhia, Sumy and Mykolaiv regions were also attacked, according to Zelenskyy.

Zelenskyy said he had instructed Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs and its diplomatic team to maximize contacts with partners and press for a decisive response at international meetings this week. He called for more pressure on Russia and stronger air defenses, particularly anti-ballistic systems.

Western leaders condemned the attack as the Group of Seven gathered in Evian, France.

European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said the strikes killed more civilians and seriously damaged the Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. She said G7 leaders would discuss steps to increase pressure on Russia and bring Putin to the negotiating table, adding that “Europe wants peace.”

Commission Vice President Kaja Kallas said the EU was adopting additional sanctions targeting Russia’s military-industrial complex and its shadow fleet. “These are war crimes, and Russia will have to answer for them,” she said.

Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker said a leader who orders such strikes on civilians and cultural sites is not seeking peace, and that the EU would keep increasing pressure on Russia while supporting Ukraine.

Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney condemned the attack, including the strike on the Lavra. “Canada stands with Ukraine,” he said.