"Nothing is sacred to the enemy" : the Russian attack on an Orthodox cathedral seen from Ukraine

Following this attack, a fire broke out within the reserve, and visits to the Lavra were temporarily restricted.

This was reported on June 15 by a Suspilne correspondent.

“Once again we are witnessing the barbaric acts of the Russians, for whom nothing is sacred. While proclaiming themselves Orthodox Christians, they strike at the very heart of our people and our holy places.”

Mgr Abraham, Abbé de la Laure of kyiv-Petchersk

Suspenseful

According to him, emergency services arrived on the scene almost immediately after the impact. Despite the thick smoke, they managed to quickly evacuate the furniture and relics from the church.

The Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Epiphanius, admitted that at first he did not even believe the reports of an attack on the Lavra. “Nothing is sacred to the enemy. He is trying to destroy monuments of global importance. Together we will restore it. This cathedral has experienced numerous destructions throughout its history.“, at-il déclaré.

According to the archbishop, it was the upper part of the cathedral which was the most affected. The fire destroyed almost the entire roof, but rain, combined with the efforts of emergency services, brought the fire under control.

Maksym Ostapenko, general director of the kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, said that around 1:30 a.m. a drone hit the very center of the roof of the Dormition Cathedral.

He said the flames quickly spread across the copper roof, damaging much of the upper floor of the building. “We managed to contain the fire on the top floor. However, these structures were severely damaged. We are currently assessing the condition of the building and determining to what extent it can be restored“, a déclaré Ostapenko

Immediately after the attack, staff from the Lavra and nature reserve began evacuating objects from the museum and relics from the church. They notably succeeded in saving the pieces of the exhibition ‘Christ is Risen’, as well as the reliquary of Saint Stephen, an object dating from the beginning of the 18th century considered as one of the most precious relics of the Dormition Cathedral.

It is currently not possible to assess the state of the iconostasis; experts will only be able to do this once emergency rescue work is completed.

According to Oleksandr Khorunzhyi, spokesperson for the National Emergency Situations Service, the fire which broke out at the Lavra affected an area of ​​approximately 800 square meters.

According to him, while they were busy cleaning up the scene after the attack, rescuers had to work under the threat of further bombings. “While firefighters were working to put out the fire, another explosion hit a neighboring building, where a fire also broke out. Despite this, it was decided to continue the operation in order to remedy the consequences as quickly as possible.“, a déclaré M. Khorunzhyi

Emergency services are currently continuing the dismantling and removal of the damaged wooden roof structures.

Following the attack, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Prime Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko and Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko visited the kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine was launching procedures within UNESCO and other international mechanisms in response to the attack.

The kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and benefits from enhanced protection under the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention.

Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna called the attack on the Lavra one of the most serious crimes committed against the world’s cultural heritage and called on the international community to step up pressure on Russia.

An article written by Anna Rybal’s’ka (Suspilne), originally published on June 15, 2026.