A fire raged through the roof of Kyiv’s 11th-century Dormition Cathedral on Monday after a wave of Russian missile and drone strikes killed at least 11 people across Ukraine, President Volodymyr Zelensky said. The cathedral, part of the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastic complex, was set ablaze in what Zelensky called “one of the biggest Russian crimes against Christian culture today.”
Four people were killed in the Ukrainian capital, while five rescue workers died in the north-eastern city of Kharkiv while trying to put out a fire caused by a strike, officials said. Across the country, 53 people were wounded, according to Zelensky. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported 35 injured in the capital alone, and said more than 140,000 residents were left without electricity after drone and missile strikes set fire to buildings and cars.
“Russian strikes killed 11 and set Kyiv’s 11th-century Dormition Cathedral ablaze, Zelensky said.”
Zelensky said Russia launched 70 missiles and 611 drones in the overnight attack. He later wrote on X that two Russian drones “deliberately targeted the part of the city where the Lavra and the Mystetskyi Arsenal are located.” Russia denied hitting the cathedral, instead claiming that a US-manufactured Patriot air defence missile had struck the site, possibly after misfiring — without providing evidence.
The head of Ukraine’s Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Epiphanius, called the attack “another Russian crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity.” On X, he added: “What more must the Kremlin Antichrist do for the world to realize that decisive action must be taken?” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted video of the fire and described it as a “brutal assault on our people and our heritage.”
International condemnation followed swiftly. French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X: “Nothing justifies this attack on our universal heritage.” EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the strikes on the cathedral and civilians “war crimes.” The EU later approved new restrictive measures against 34 individuals and 47 entities linked to Russia’s military and industrial complex, its shadow fleet and political interference activities.
Separately, a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Tula, south of Moscow, killed three people and wounded three others, including a one-year-old, local officials said. Meanwhile, a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Siberia’s Irkutsk region during a training flight. The Russian Defence Ministry said the crew ejected safely and there was no damage on the ground. Unverified footage showed the plane nose-diving into a wooded area near the Angara river.
Zelensky, speaking ahead of a G7 summit in Évian-les-Bains where Ukraine is an invited partner, called for a “decisive and meaningful” response: “more pressure on the aggressor, more support for Ukraine’s air defense, especially anti-ballistic capabilities.” The summit begins this week with the war in Ukraine on the agenda.