politics
Russian Drone Strike Damages Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery
A Russian drone struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra early on June 15, damaging the Dormition Cathedral and starting a fire. Ukrainian and Western officials condemned the attack on the UNESCO site.
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A Russian drone struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra early on June 15, damaging the Dormition Cathedral and starting a fire at the UNESCO World Heritage site. The monastery complex sustained significant structural damage. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the attack as one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture.
The nearby Mystetskyi Arsenal and Dovzhenko Film Studios in Kyiv were also struck during the same bombardment. A Russian drone damaged more than one thousand exhibits at the Kharkiv Art Museum on June 14. A missile attack the next day damaged the Organ and Chamber Music Hall in Dnipro. The National Chornobyl Museum in Kyiv was almost completely destroyed in a separate recent strike.
UNESCO has verified damage to 536 cultural sites between February 2022 and June 2026. Ukrainian officials place the total number of affected sites at more than three times the UNESCO figure. In occupied areas, Russian authorities have removed Ukrainian-language materials and symbols from public institutions.
Transparency
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CorroborationModerate · 1 source
