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A major Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv set fire to the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, damaging the roof of the Dormition Cathedral, one of Ukraine's most important spiritual and cultural landmarks and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
According to cultural heritage experts, for Ukraine, the fire at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is not only another scene of wartime destruction but also a direct blow to one of the country's deepest spiritual and cultural symbols.
Founded in the 11th century, the UNESCO-listed monastery is a major Orthodox Christian pilgrimage site, a place tied to centuries of worship, buried saints, national memory and Ukrainian religious identity.
The damage to its Dormition Cathedral after Russia's overnight missile and drone attack, therefore, carries a meaning far beyond the physical loss, striking at a landmark that Ukraine and UNESCO regard as part of the world's cultural heritage.
At least four people were killed, and more than 20 others were wounded in the attack on the Ukrainian capital, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration. The strike also left about 140,000 households in northern Kyiv without electricity, Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a Russian strike set Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra’s 11th-century Dormition Cathedral on fire, calling it “one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date.”
Images from the scene showed flames rising from the monastery complex as firefighters worked near the towers and domes of the Dormition Cathedral.
Ukraine's emergency services said the fire affected around 800 square meters of the cathedral's roof and released images showing damage to the building.
A separate fire also broke out at the National Cultural, Art and Museum Complex, covering an area of about 1,000 square meters, according to Ukrainian emergency officials.
Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine called for "prayers for the salvation of the shrine from destruction," describing the attack as "another Russian crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity."
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, founded in the 11th century, is one of Ukraine's most prominent Orthodox Christian sites and an important pilgrimage center. The complex includes churches above ground and caves below ground, where relics of saints have been buried over the centuries.
UNESCO lists the site as a World Heritage Site and has described it as a "masterpiece of Ukrainian art." In 2023, the site was placed on the World Heritage in Danger list because of threats linked to Russia's offensive.
The monastery is also listed under Enhanced Protection under the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention, a treaty framework designed to protect cultural property during armed conflict.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 611 long-range strike drones and 70 missiles during the overnight attack. A CNN journalist in Kyiv reported hearing several explosions as the strike unfolded.
Russia's Defense Ministry said Monday that it had carried out strikes on defense-industrial targets in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipropetrovsk.
Elsewhere in Ukraine, at least five people were killed in Russian bombardment of Kharkiv, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said. Another five people were wounded.
The assault came after Zelensky said he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump about efforts to end the war. Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, according to the Kremlin.
Zelensky said Ukrainians wanted to achieve peace together with the United States and other partners.
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