UNESCO-listed Cathedral Damaged in Russian Drone Strike on Kyiv Monastery

Kyiv, often called the City of Golden Domes, experienced another night of attacks as a suspected Russian drone struck the Dormition Cathedral, a central part of the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The 11th-century monastery, a significant religious symbol and one of Europe's oldest Christian sites, was engulfed in smoke and flames following the direct hit.

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My God, what is happening? There is smoke here, there is fire here, there are people, confusion, people shouting: 'Air raid alert! Attention! Everyone hide!' So I hid too, as best I could.

Father Makariy, a clergyman who has resided at the monastery for over two decades, described the chaotic moments after the strike. "My God, what is happening? There is smoke here, there is fire here, there are people, confusion, people shouting: 'Air raid alert! Attention! Everyone hide!' So I hid too, as best I could," he told AFP. A fire spread rapidly across approximately 800 square meters, prompting museum staff, monks, and police to attempt to salvage valuable exhibits.

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They not only want to destroy us physically, but they first and foremost want to erase our memory.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the attack as "one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date." Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Affairs and Minister of Culture Tetyana Berezhna echoed this sentiment, stating on social media that the strike on the Lavra was "not only about Ukraine. It is about heritage that belongs to all humanity." She highlighted the site's protected status under international conventions, calling the attack "one of the most serious crimes against the world cultural heritage."

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One of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date.

Father Makariy believes the attack targeted not just a holy site but Ukraine's very identity. "They not only want to destroy us physically, but they first and foremost want to erase our memory," he said. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a complex of monasteries and caves, holds Ukraine's most revered shrines and relics, and is the resting place for monks, including its founder, Saint Anthony. Russia has denied striking the monastery, claiming it was damaged by other means.

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When the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra comes under attack, this is not only about Ukraine. It is about heritage that belongs to all humanity.