The sacred and historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery’s Dormition Cathedral caught fire after a massive Russian air raid on the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, that killed at least five people and injured at least six more. Peter Beaumont writes from Kyiv that the strikes were part of a wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine, with reports of damage continuing to arrive early on Monday morning. Houses, cars and a high-rise apartment building caught fire and 140,000 people were without electricity in parts of Kyiv, said Vitali Klitschko, the mayor and Tymur Tkachenko, head of the capital’s military administration.
Agence France-Presse said a major missile attack was taking place and its reporter saw projectiles intercepted in the sky with glowing debris falling on to the city. The risk of missile and drone attacks continued into Monday morning, Ukraine’s air force warned. Ukrainian prime minister Yulia Svyrydenko, posted a picture of monastery buildings in flames, adding: “A brutal assault on our people and our heritage. This is the true face of Russia’s Orthodox values.”
On Sunday the regions of Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Sumy came under attack. Police said two people were killed and four injured in Sumy. A woman aged 73 died when a drone hit a car in Zaporizhzhia, said the regional governor. Three other women and an elderly man of similar ages were injured. A baby was injured in a drone strike on Kharkiv city, said the regional governor.
