Ukraine accused Russia of damaging the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery during its latest overnight airstrikes against the country. Russia denied the allegations on Monday, claiming that the cathedral was struck by a U.S-made Patriot air-defence missile rather than a Russian attack.
Recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, the monastery was built in 1051 and is one of UKraine’s most important religious and cultural landmarks.
The accusations came after an overnight drone attack by Russia across Kyiv and other cities, killing at least nine people and causing extensive infrastructural damage.
Russia’s Defence Ministry released a statement, attributing the damage to a malfunctioning Patriot missile supplied by Western countries to Ukraine.
“According to confirmed reports, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex was hit by a missile from an American Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. One of the reasons for the system’s malfunction could have been that Western countries supplied the Kyiv regime with expired missiles,” said the statement.
However, the ministry has not yet provided evidence to back up its claims.
Ukraine refutes Russia’s statement
Ukrainian officials dismissed Russia’s statement and said the cathedral was hit during one of the heaviest attacks on Kyiv in recent weeks. Kyiv’s military administration called it a direct strike and said the monastery suffered significant damage.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack and called it a crime against Christian religion and culture.
Zelenskyy wrote on X, “A Russian strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra set the Dormition Cathedral on fire – a church whose history dates back to the 11th century. And this is one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date.”
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko also took to X to express her views on the incident.
“A brutal assault on our people and our heritage,” she posted “This is the true face of Russia’s Orthodox values.”
