Kyiv, Ukraine. A large-scale Russian attack on Monday badly damaged the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, one of Ukraine’s most important spiritual and cultural landmarks, and killed 10 people across the country. The strike came hours after Donald Trump held separate talks with the leaders of Russia and Ukraine about ending the war.
Talks before the attack
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday he had discussed efforts to end the conflict with Trump ahead of a G7 summit in France. Trump also spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin and stressed the importance of bringing the war to an end.
Damage to historic monastery
The attack damaged the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1051. Zelenskiy, who visited the site after the attack, described it as “one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date”.
“This is an attack on our history,” he told reporters at the monastery, where specialists were assessing damage to paintings and frescoes. “Of course, everything will be restored.”
A fire caused extensive damage to the roof of the Dormition Cathedral, the monastery’s main church, although the structure remained standing and much of the interior appeared intact.
International reaction
The strike drew international condemnation, with France’s foreign minister comparing it to the bombing of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris.
Metropolitan Epifaniy, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, called for international action to stop what he described as “Russian terror against Ukraine”.
Competing claims over responsibility
The attack was part of what Ukrainian officials described as the most severe Russian assault since early June, when drones and missiles killed more than 20 people and injured over 100.
Russia denied targeting the monastery and dismissed the allegations as “a crude fake”. Moscow said the damage was caused by a US-made Patriot air defence missile used by Ukraine.
Ukraine’s SBU security service said investigators recovered fragments of a Russian Geran-2 drone at the scene and published photographs of the debris, including parts of a wing and engine. Reuters was unable to independently verify the claim.
