Russia attacks one of the great religious symbols of Ukraine and a UNESCO World Heritage site
The attack with 70 missiles and more than 600 drones leaves at least eleven dead and burns the cathedral of the Kyiv monastery
BarcelonaRussia launched one of the most massive air attacks in recent months against Ukraine early this morning. Among the affected targets is the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, one of the great spiritual and cultural emblems of Ukraine and Orthodox Christianity, founded in the 11th century, which is a UNESCO World Heritage site. The attack caused a spectacular fire.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the bombing as "one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date," while Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha announced that Kyiv will appeal to UNESCO and other international organizations. In the offensive, Moscow fired 70 missiles and 611 drones at various points in Ukraine, leaving at least 11 dead and dozens injured, according to authorities. In the capital, the attacks forced thousands of people to take refuge in metro stations, and explosions were heard for hours.
In several messages on X, Zelensky urged "the world not to remain silent" in the face of what he described as an "act of Russian barbarism," and assured that "more cooperation" is needed to stop the Russian offensive and "stronger protection" to save lives. In this regard, Zelensky pointed out that he has asked his diplomatic team to "maximize" contacts with Ukraine's partners in order to achieve "real results" in the coming two weeks on cooperation matters.
Russia has assured that the offensive was directed against military and industrial objectives, and has attributed the fire in the cathedral to Ukrainian friendly fire. France has condemned the attack and its Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jean-Noël Barrot, has compared it to a hypothetical bombing of Notre-Dame de Paris. The Spanish Minister of Foreign Affairs, José Manuel Albares, has also condemned the attack: "Russian aggression does not respect Christian temples that are cultural heritage of humanity either," he wrote on social media, where he called for "a ceasefire that leads to a just and lasting peace".
Escalation in attacks
The attack comes at a time of maximum diplomatic and military tension. This Sunday, Zelensky spoke with Donald Trump about possible ways to end a war that has already lasted over four years. In a message on X, he described Trump's words about Crimea as "absolutely correct," pointing to the occupation of this peninsula as the origin of the conflict. For his part, Vladimir Putin has warned in recent days that Russia would intensify its bombings with "systemic" attacks.
Today's is the latest in a series of attacks between the two countries that signify an escalation of the armed conflict. Two weeks ago, Ukraine attacked Saint Petersburg coinciding with the inauguration of the Economic Forum of that city, which the Kremlin presents as its alternative to the Davos Economic Forum and where, for the first time in almost a decade, delegates from the United States attended. With the attack, Kyiv, which had already crashed a drone into a skyscraper in Moscow, secured a new image of significant symbolism: photographs of the exhibition center with columns of smoke in the background.
The day before, Putin launched a large-scale bombing against Ukraine similar to today's, in which he used 73 missiles and 656 drones. In a similar episode, in mid-May, in just 30 hours the Kremlin flew 1,560 drones over Ukraine, in an attack in which 26 people died. These are examples of Moscow's ferocity in recent months against Ukraine, in attacks that occur after Kyiv has regained momentum on the front during the end of winter and spring of this year.