A recent extensive assault by Russia on Ukraine has resulted in the deaths of five individuals and left at least 20 others injured, with a religious site now engulfed in flames.
The attack, which occurred in Kyiv, targeted the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a significant religious landmark in the country. Images from the scene depict apartment buildings consumed by fire following the strike on Monday, June 15.
In Kharkiv, five people lost their lives due to a subsequent Russian attack while battling a fire caused by an earlier strike, according to Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. Additionally, at least five emergency responders sustained injuries during the incident.
Tymur Tkachenko, the Head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, accused Russia of intentionally targeting the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, describing it as an attack on a major Christian shrine. Metropolitan Epiphanius, the leader of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, reported that the Dormition Cathedral’s roof caught fire during the assault, condemning it as a crime against humanity, history, and Christianity.
A series of powerful explosions rocked Kyiv, with ballistic missiles and Shahed drones causing widespread panic as residents sought refuge underground. Officials issued warnings for people to seek shelter as significant damage to civilian infrastructure was reported in the city.
Tkachenko disclosed that 20 individuals, including a child, sought medical assistance in Kyiv. He highlighted that within a span of less than 30 minutes, five strikes hit civilian locations in the Shevchenkivskyi district, leading to fires in a 25-story apartment building, a market, and a grocery store. Moreover, in the Obolonskyi district, a nine-story residential building was directly hit.
Tkachenko emphasized that the attacks on civilian sites were intentional decisions made by the aggressors.
