Russia kills five in Ukraine attack as historic Kyiv monastery set ablaze | World | News
Five people died and at least 20 were injured as a religious monument burned down in Russia’s massive attack on Ukraine.
The bombardment caused a fire in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, one of the country’s most important religious sites, in the capital Kiev.
The attack took place on Monday, June 15, and photos taken from the scene show residential blocks destroyed by fire following the incident.
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said the five deaths occurred during a second Russian bombardment in Kharkiv as the city battled flames after the first attack.
The minister confirmed that at least five emergency personnel were injured.
Timur Tkachenko, Head of the Military Administration of Kiev City, accused Russia of deliberately targeting “the heart of one of the largest Christian shrines” due to serious damage to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, a monastery complex.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, said that the roof of the Dormition Cathedral was set on fire during the night attack.
He condemned the bombardment as another Russian atrocity “against humanity, history and Christianity” and called for prayers for the protection of the area.
A barrage of ballistic missiles accompanied by Shahed drones and a series of devastating explosions echoed throughout Kiev as scores of residents sought shelter underground and authorities urged citizens to take shelter.
“Kiev is under the main attack. There is serious destruction of civilian infrastructure,” Klymenko said.
According to Tkachenko, 20 people, including a child, needed medical assistance in the capital.
He announced that places belonging to civilians, including a 25-storey apartment building in the Shevchenkivski district of the city, were hit five times in less than half an hour, and a market and a grocery store were engulfed in flames.
There was a direct attack on a nine-storey residential building in the Obolonskyi district.
“This is their deliberate decision,” he said.
