Russian Missile and Drone Barrage Sets Kyiv‑Pechersk Lavra Ablaze

Overview

• Ukrainian officials said a large overnight assault on Monday used roughly 70 ballistic missiles and 611 Shahed drones to strike multiple cities with Kyiv a principal target.
• The Dormition Cathedral in the 11th‑century Kyiv‑Pechersk Lavra caught fire and suffered significant interior and exterior damage while firefighters later reported the rooftop blaze was extinguished.
• The strikes killed and wounded civilians across Ukraine and five rescue workers were killed in Kharkiv while battling fires caused by a follow‑up strike.
• Ukraine said it responded with drone strikes that damaged two bridges linking Kherson to Russian‑held Crimea and temporarily halted traffic on those routes.
• Russia denied deliberately hitting the monastery and blamed a Patriot air‑defence missile malfunction while UNESCO condemned the damage and Lavra officials said repairs could take up to two years and cost millions.