Today at 16:44
The death toll from Russia’s massive overnight strike on Kyiv on June 15 has risen to five. At least 35 civilians were injured. Damage was recorded in nearly every district of the city. Residential buildings, a kindergarten, a school, and critical infrastructure were damaged. Russian forces also struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio. Ukraine is urgently initiating procedures within UNESCO following the attack on cultural heritage sites.
A Russian drone directly struck the roof of the Dormition Cathedral within the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex. The impact occurred in the altar section, where some of the most valuable icons and museum artifacts are kept.
Throughout the night, employees of the national preserve and emergency responders evacuated relics from the burning building. Most of the icons and antimensia were saved and suffered only minor damage. However, the cathedral itself sustained significant destruction. The roof was almost completely burned out, and the blast wave damaged several load-bearing structures. The iconostasis, murals, and frescoes were also heavily affected.
According to Maksym Ostapenko, the damaged section of the cathedral was part of the structure that had survived its destruction during the Second World War.
“A major fire broke out, engulfing all upper tiers and vaults of the church, as well as the wooden structures forming the cathedral’s dome. Firefighters managed to localize the blaze quickly. However, all upper sections of the cathedral sustained severe damage, and there remains a significant threat to the lower levels,” Ostapenko said.
A full assessment of the damage will only be possible after emergency crews completely extinguish the fire and eliminate the risk of structural collapse. Visitors are currently not allowed into the Lavra complex.
“The explosion on a single site damaged three monuments of national significance and several local heritage objects. Around 5 a.m., another strike hit the Kushchnyk Tower. The top of the tower was blown off, and the drone then struck the Mystetskyi Arsenal, where a fire broke out,” Ostapenko added.
Russian forces also attacked the Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio. The costume department was almost completely destroyed by fire, resulting in the loss of Ukraine’s largest and oldest costume collection. The studio housed approximately 100,000 costumes and around three million individual clothing items.
“This collection had been assembled over decades, beginning in the 1950s. It included costumes from some of our most famous films, including ‘Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors,’ ‘The Lost Letter,’ and ‘Chasing Two Hares.’ These costumes have been destroyed and are lost forever. Fortunately, none of the security personnel who were on the studio grounds that night were injured,” said Andrii Donchyk.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha compared Russia’s actions to those of terrorists and barbarians destroying the world’s cultural and spiritual heritage. He said Ukraine is urgently launching all relevant UNESCO procedures and other international mechanisms, demanding an immediate and adequate response.
“Russia inflicted severe damage on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, bombed the historic Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio and destroyed Ukraine’s largest and oldest costume collection, while also striking the Kharkiv Art Museum and the Dnipro House of Organ and Chamber Music. There can be no justification for destroying lives, attacking residential neighborhoods, and erasing Ukrainian culture. Russia must be held accountable for its crimes,” Sybiha said.
Since the start of the full-scale invasion, Russian forces have destroyed or damaged at least 700 religious sites in Ukraine, including churches, mosques, synagogues, and prayer houses. Missile and drone attacks have also destroyed 135 museums and galleries.
Each such strike demonstrates that Russia is waging war not only against Ukraine and its people, but also against its history, culture, and collective memory.
Meanwhile, emergency crews continue to deal with the aftermath of Russian strikes in Kyiv and Kharkiv. During the latest attack, Russia launched more than 60 missiles at Kyiv alone and a total of 70 missiles and 611 drones across Ukraine.
Read also: Russians waited until Putin congratulated Trump before launching the massive attack, Zelenskyy says
