RUSSIAN MISSILE STRIKES KILL 11 IN UKRAINE, DAMAGE KYIV MONASTERY
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Agency Report
At least 11 people have been killed following an overnight Russian missile and drone barrage across Ukraine, with Kyiv suffering heavy damage and a major Orthodox monastery partially set ablaze.
AFP journalists reported scenes of panic in the capital as residents ran through streets seeking shelter while air defence systems intercepted incoming missiles and falling debris lit up the night sky.
Ukrainian authorities said five people were killed and 34 injured in Kyiv alone, while additional deaths were recorded in other regions, including Kharkiv and Dnipro, as Russia launched what Ukraine described as one of its largest coordinated strikes in recent weeks.
A fire broke out at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of the most significant Orthodox Christian monasteries, damaging the roof of the Dormition Cathedral.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the attack, describing it as one of Russia’s most serious assaults on Christian cultural heritage.
“This is one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date,” Zelensky said on social media after visiting the site.
Founded in the 11th century, the monastery holds deep religious significance for Orthodox Christians in both Ukraine and Russia. Emergency workers later confirmed that the cathedral’s roof sustained major damage, though its interior remained largely intact.
Russia’s defence ministry said it carried out a “massive strike” targeting military facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro regions, but denied deliberately hitting the monastery, claiming instead that damage may have been caused by an intercepted Ukrainian air defence missile.
However, Ukrainian officials said two Russian drones deliberately targeted the monastery district.
The Ukrainian air force said Russia fired 70 missiles and 611 drones during the assault, of which 50 missiles and 582 drones were intercepted.
Zelensky also renewed calls for stronger international pressure on Moscow, speaking ahead of the G7 summit in France. He added that he had told US President Donald Trump he was open to meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in the United States, describing it as a proposal Putin would find “harder to refuse”.
In addition to the Kyiv casualties, five people were reported killed in Kharkiv, including rescue workers and a civil servant, while three people were killed in a separate Ukrainian drone strike in Russia’s Tula region.
Russia’s war in Ukraine, which began with its invasion in February 2022, continues to escalate with near-daily missile and drone exchanges, as both sides intensify strikes on strategic and military targets.
AFP
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