The Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery was hit during a massive Russian missile and drone strike on Kyiv, causing a fire that engulfed parts of the historic site. The attack, which occurred at the height of Russian assaults across Ukraine, killed at least four people and injured several others, according to reports from the Ukrainian capital.
Details of the Attack
Peter Beaumont, reporting from Kyiv, noted that the strikes were part of a widespread wave of Russian attacks across Ukraine. Damage reports continued to arrive early on Monday morning, with houses, cars, and a high-rise apartment building catching fire. Mayor Vitali Klitschko and military administration head Tymur Tkachenko stated that approximately 140,000 people in parts of Kyiv were left without electricity.
Agence France-Presse reported a major missile attack in progress, with its correspondent witnessing projectiles being intercepted in the sky and glowing debris falling onto the city. Ukraine's air force warned that the risk of missile and drone attacks persisted into Monday morning.
Official Reactions
Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko posted a picture of the monastery buildings in flames, condemning the assault: "A brutal assault on our people and our heritage. This is the true face of Russia's Orthodox values."
Impact on Other Regions
In Kharkiv city, at least five people were killed in what appeared to be a double-tap strike targeting emergency responders who were extinguishing a fire from an earlier attack. A baby was injured in a drone strike on Kharkiv city, according to the regional governor.
On Sunday, the regions of Zaporizhzhia and Sumy came under attack. Police reported two deaths and four injuries in Sumy. In Zaporizhzhia, a 73-year-old woman died when a drone hit her car, said the regional governor.
Ukrainian Counterstrikes
Ukraine hit two bridges connecting Crimea to Russian-controlled areas as part of ongoing efforts to isolate the illegally occupied peninsula. Crimea is already facing a severe fuel crisis due to Ukrainian strikes on supply lines.
On Monday, three people were killed and three others injured, including a one-year-old child, in a drone attack on the Russian city of Tula, an industrial cluster south of Moscow, the regional governor said. Ukraine denies targeting civilians.
Ukraine struck an oil facility in Russia's Yaroslavl region and the critically important Azot explosives plant in the Tula region, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced on Sunday. Strikes on Russian military logistics also succeeded in occupied parts of Ukraine. Zelenskyy stated, "Ukraine is carrying out its plan of long-range sanctions against Russia and the assigned tasks regarding mid-range strikes in response to Russia's refusal to end this war."
Further Russian Attacks
The governor of Russia's Yaroslavl region, Mikhail Yevryaev, reported a massive Ukrainian drone attack that hit fuel storage facilities, causing a large fire. One person was killed and nine more were injured on Sunday when Ukrainian drones struck an apartment building in the Russian city of Oryol, south of Moscow, according to the regional governor.
A drone strike set fire to a sea terminal in the southern Russian port of Temryuk, regional authorities said, as reported by Russian state media. Ukraine's military and the SBU security service stated on Saturday that Ukrainian drones hit several targets in Russia, including an oil and gas terminal in the Krasnodar region and an oil processing and pumping facility in the Volgograd region.
Diplomatic Efforts
Volodymyr Zelenskyy spoke with Donald Trump about ways to end the Russia-Ukraine war ahead of the G7 meeting in France this week, writes Gloria Oladipo. Sunday was the US president's 80th birthday. Zelenskyy said, "I updated the president on the latest developments on the battlefield and how our position has strengthened. We have some good ideas that could help bring peace closer." Trump also spoke with Vladimir Putin and offered to help end the war, reported Russia's Tass news agency.
