A World Heritage site in Kyiv was engulfed in flames after Vladimir Putin launched a massive aerial attack, killing four people. Five rescuers were also killed, and 20 were injured as strikes set apartment buildings ablaze and sparked a fire at one of Ukraine's most significant religious landmarks.
Damage at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a historic monastery, suffered substantial damage and a serious fire broke out, according to Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration. He accused Russia of deliberately striking 'the heart of one of the largest Christian shrines.'
Rescuers killed in Kharkiv
Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said that rescuers were killed in Kharkiv by a second Russian strike as they fought a blaze caused by an earlier attack. The central Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, founded in 1051, is a recognizable landmark with its domed gold cathedrals.
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko stated: 'A brutal assault on our people and our heritage. This is the true face of Russia’s Orthodox values.' The Lavra was previously damaged during World War Two on November 3, 1941, when Kyiv was under German occupation.
Worst attacks since early June
The attacks last night are the worst since earlier in June, when a missile attack killed almost two dozen Ukrainians and wounded 100 others. Ukraine said it is working with UNESCO to ensure 'immediate and adequate responses to this state barbarism.'
Cultural sites targeted
Putin’s forces appeared to target key cultural sites in their latest onslaught. Also struck was the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio, which holds the largest and oldest costume collection in Ukraine. The Kharkiv Art Museum and opera theatre were hit, as was the historic House of Organ and Chamber Music in Dnipro.
Olena Kurylo, 56, from Kharkiv, said: 'The Russians are striking out of some kind of impotence, hitting museums, theatres, churches. Where is their ‘God is with us’ now? Striking the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra? Where is God with them? They have the devil with them, Satan! May they all burn in hell.'
