Kiev cathedral engulfed in flames as deadly attacks hit Ukraine

‘Repeated Russian attacks’
The Culture Ministry reported at the time that Russian attacks in January had damaged several buildings in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra complex.
The Kiev Pechersk Lavra, a monastery with symbolic golden domes, made headlines in recent years after the expulsion of its monks, who were accused of having ties to Moscow.
Ukraine’s Orthodox Church officially seceded from Russia in 2022, and two years later the Ukrainian government went so far as to ban the Ukraine branch of the Moscow-linked Orthodox Church.
Institutionally, the Russian Orthodox Church has stood firmly with President Vladimir Putin since he launched Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
The head of the local military administration, Timur Tkachenko, condemned the “direct attack” on the site.
Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev also condemned the attack, calling it a “crime against humanity, history and Christianity.”
At least 25 people were reported injured in the capital and 140,000 residents in northern districts were left without power.
Kharkiv, a major city in the north-east, also came under missile attack.
“Five State Emergency Service rescuers were killed during firefighting operations as a result of repeated Russian attacks,” Interior Minister Igor Klimenko said on Telegram. At least nine people were also injured.
Oleksandr Hanza, head of the military administration in the Dnipropetrovsk region, said the city of Dnipro was also targeted and two people were wounded.