The history behind Kyiv's historic monastery damaged in Russian strike

Firefighters and workers were clearing debris on Monday after what Ukraine described as a deliberate Russian strike severely damaged a nearly 1,000-year-old cathedral in Kyiv, one of the country's most important religious and cultural landmarks.

Fire engulfs cathedral roof

The attack sparked a fire on the roof of the Dormition Cathedral, the main church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, whose golden domes have dominated the Ukrainian capital's skyline for centuries.

Massive plumes of black smoke rose above the cathedral in the early hours of Monday as firefighters used cranes and helicopters to battle the blaze. The fire was extinguished by 9 a.m. local time.

Priceless relics evacuated

Ukraine's First Deputy Culture Minister, Ivan Verbytskyi, said the monastery's most valuable religious relics had been removed before they could be damaged.

Although the roof suffered extensive fire damage, officials said the cathedral's structure and walls remained intact. The iconostasis, the ornate screen separating the nave from the sanctuary, also escaped significant destruction.

Inside the cathedral, water streamed down painted walls as employees rushed to salvage furniture and protect fragile frescoes and religious artefacts from further damage.

Zelenskyy condemns attack

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the strike as "one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date".

Ukraine's security service, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), said investigators recovered fragments of a Russian-made Geran-2 drone at the scene and released images of the debris.

Russia denied targeting the monastery, claiming the damage had instead been caused by a U.S.-made MIM-104 Patriot air-defence missile.

A symbol of Ukraine's cultural heritage

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has previously suffered damage during the war, which began in February 2022 following Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine.

However, Maksym Ostapenko, director-general of the monastery complex, said this was the first "deliberate, precise strike" on the cathedral itself and the most extensive damage seen so far.

"At the moment, we can see severe damage to all upper parts of the cathedral. There is a high risk for the part which is underneath, paintings, frescoes, iconostasis," he told Reuters.

A cathedral with a turbulent history

The Dormition Cathedral has already endured destruction once before. According to Ostapenko, around 80% of the building was destroyed in a 1941 explosion ordered by Soviet leader Joseph Stalin.

The cathedral was rebuilt 25 years ago, while the restoration of its iconic iconostasis was completed only last year.

Among the treasures preserved at the site are silver panels recovered during archaeological excavations following the cathedral's destruction in 1941.

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Fears for irreplaceable treasures

Officials and conservation experts are now assessing the full extent of the damage, particularly the threat posed to the cathedral's centuries-old frescoes and religious artefacts.

"This is one of the most renowned examples of Ukraine's cultural and historical heritage that Russia is targeting precisely to destroy," Ostapenko said, warning that the damage could have lasting consequences for one of Ukraine's most treasured spiritual symbols.

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