Russian barrage kills nine in Ukraine and burns Kyiv cathedral roof
Ukrainian officials said missiles and drones hit Kyiv and Kharkiv, killing rescuers, damaging cultural sites and cutting power to 140,000 homes.
By Sofia Marchetti · World Affairs Correspondent
3 min read
A Russian overnight missile and drone attack killed at least nine people across Ukraine and set fire to the roof of a historic cathedral in Kyiv, Ukrainian officials said Monday. The strikes also cut electricity to 140,000 households and hit civilian and cultural sites in several cities, according to authorities cited by Al Jazeera, AFP and AP.
In Kyiv, emergency crews fought a blaze at the Dormition Cathedral inside the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, a UNESCO-listed site and one of the best-known religious complexes in Ukraine. Maksym Ostapenko, director general of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve, told Ukrainian state broadcaster Suspilne that a Russian kamikaze drone struck the cathedral roof directly.
Ostapenko said the fire spread across about 800 square metres, or 8,600 square feet, before firefighters brought it under control. Monks and rescue workers carried icons and liturgical objects out of the building as the fire burned, according to the report.
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, overlooks the Dnipro River and includes underground caves extending more than 600 metres. The complex has been a Christian pilgrimage site for centuries, according to Al Jazeera.
Metropolitan Epiphanius I, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, called the strike on the cathedral “a crime against humanity, against history, and against Christianity” in a post on X. First Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said the destruction showed what she called “the true face of Russia’s Orthodox values.”
Cultural damage reported in Kyiv
Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture said the same barrage badly damaged the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studios nearby. The ministry said the studio’s main costume storage area was destroyed, burning a collection of about 100,000 garments that it described as irreplaceable.
Local monitoring channels reported that Russia sent dozens of Shahed-type drones and at least 15 high-speed ballistic missiles toward Kyiv alone. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said about 20 people were injured in the capital, including a child and a pregnant woman.
Klitschko said residential high-rise buildings were hit in the Obolonskyi, Solomianskyi and Pecherskyi districts. Ukrainian officials described the attack as one of the most damaging strikes on Kyiv’s civilian and cultural infrastructure in months.
Rescuers killed in Kharkiv
In Kharkiv, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said five State Emergency Service rescuers were killed in a “double-tap” attack. He said the rescuers were putting out a fire from an initial missile strike when a second drone attack hit minutes later.
Kharkiv Governor Oleh Syniehubov said at least five more first responders were wounded in the second blast. The northeastern city has been a frequent target during Russia’s invasion, though officials in Monday’s reports focused on the casualties from the latest attack.
The strikes came after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Russian President Vladimir Putin held separate phone calls Sunday with United States President Donald Trump. Zelenskyy said on X that his call addressed steps that could help bring peace, while the Kremlin said Putin and Trump discussed peace negotiations involving the US and Iran.
This story draws on original reporting from Al Jazeera.