Russian Missiles and Drones Strike Kyiv and Kharkiv, Killing Five Rescuers and Damaging Historic Cathedral

Russian forces launched a large-scale attack on Ukraine on Monday that combined ballistic missiles and Shahed drones. Five rescuers were killed in Kharkiv when a second strike hit them as they responded to an earlier blaze. At least five other emergency workers were wounded in the same incident.

Explosions shook Kyiv as missiles arrived first, followed by drones. Officials directed residents to seek cover underground. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Kyiv was under the main strike and that civilian infrastructure suffered significant destruction.

Twenty people, including one child, sought medical help in the capital, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. Five strikes hit civilian sites in the Shevchenkivskyi district in less than 30 minutes. A 25-story apartment building was struck, and a market and grocery store caught fire.

A nine-story residential building took a direct hit in the Obolonskyi district. Tkachenko said Russia deliberately struck apartment blocks. “This is their deliberate decision,” he said. Damage at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was substantial and a serious fire broke out.

The roof of the Dormition Cathedral caught fire during the overnight attack, Metropolitan Epiphanius stated. He described the strike as a crime “against humanity, against history, against Christianity” and appealed for prayers to protect the site. The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is a monastic complex built from the 11th to the 19th century.

Some churches are connected by caves spanning more than 600 meters. The buildings overlook the right bank of the Dnipro River and form a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site.