Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky denounced Russia’s latest aerial attack against Kyiv that damaged a 1,000-year-old cathedral as an assault on Christianity on Monday.Zelensky described the missile and drone attack as “one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date.”The historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site, was badly damaged in the overnight attack. A Russian strike sparked a fire on the roof of the Ukrainian capital’s Dormition Cathedral. Firefighters battled the blaze that engulfed the religious landmark.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko vowed to restore the 11th-century cathedral through government funding.
“The Government is preparing decisions to allocate resources from the reserve fund for urgent roof stabilization and its subsequent restoration,” she posted on X.
In another post, Svyrydenko said the Russian strike targeting the cathedral was “a brutal assault on our people and our heritage” and argued it represents the “true face of Russia’s Orthodox values.”
Russia denied striking the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, blaming an American-made Patriot air defense missile for the damage. Ukraine uses military weapons provided by the United States. Moscow claimed its intended targets were military factories.
