Kyiv, Ukraine. Four people were killed in Kyiv and the Pechersk Lavra monastery caught fire during what authorities described on Monday as the heaviest Russian air attack on the Ukrainian capital in two weeks. Officials urged residents to take shelter as strikes damaged homes, electricity lines and a major religious and cultural landmark.
Monastery damaged in attack
The central Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site founded in 1051, was seriously damaged in a direct attack, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration, in a Telegram post.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said on X that the strike was “a brutal assault on our people and our heritage.”
Casualties and infrastructure damage
As flames rose over the monastery, residents took shelter underground during the attack, which Kyiv authorities said was the worst on the city since early June, when drones and missiles killed more than 20 people and wounded more than 100.
Drones and missiles struck several high-rise apartment buildings and damaged electricity lines, leaving about 140,000 residents without power, according to Kyiv authorities.
Tkachenko said four people were killed and 30 were injured.
Scale of the overnight assault
Ukraine’s military said on Monday morning that Russia had launched 70 missiles and 611 drones on Ukraine overnight. It said air defence units shot down 50 missiles and 582 drones of various types.
Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat said on national television that ballistic missiles remained a challenge.
“Of the 34 ballistic missiles launched, only 15 were shot down, although that is a strong result,” Ihnat said.
Context and reactions
The strikes came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy said on Sunday that he had spoken with U.S. President Donald Trump and discussed efforts to end the more than four-year conflict ahead of a G7 meeting in France this week.
Metropolitan Epifaniy, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said on X that decisive action was needed to end what he described as Russian terror against Ukraine and peace principles.
