Russian missile strikes on multiple Ukrainian cities on Sunday resulted in at least nine deaths and significant damage to Kyiv’s historic Dormition Cathedral, part of the UNESCO World Heritage site Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The attacks mark a severe escalation amid ongoing conflict that has now entered its fifth year.

In Kyiv, four people were killed as Russian rockets struck the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery complex. The assault caused a fire at the Dormition Cathedral, an 11th-century structure known for its golden domes. Firefighters responded rapidly, deploying more than a dozen fire trucks and utilizing aerial platforms to combat the blaze. A large hole was reported on one side of the cathedral, with flames visible from its roof. The damage follows previous strikes in January that also affected buildings within the monastery grounds.

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has been a symbolic site amid the conflict, particularly since the Orthodox Church of Ukraine formally severed ties with the Russian Orthodox Church in 2022. The Russian Orthodox Church has publicly supported President Vladimir Putin’s military campaign in Ukraine. Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv condemned the attack, calling it a “crime against humanity, history and Christianity.”

Interior Minister Igor Klymenko reported that the strikes in northeast Ukraine were particularly deadly for emergency responders, with five rescue workers killed and at least five more injured during Russian missile impacts on Kharkiv. Additionally, residents of Kyiv were seen seeking shelter and observing air defenses intercept projectiles overhead during the barrage.

The missile attacks coincided with renewed diplomatic activity involving the United States. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin both held calls with then-US President Donald Trump on Sunday. Zelensky indicated on social media that his conversation with Trump involved discussions aimed at facilitating peace. Meanwhile, Moscow stated Putin’s call focused on ongoing US-Iran negotiations.

In related developments, British forces intercepted a Russian oil tanker linked to Moscow’s so-called “shadow fleet” in the English Channel. The UK Ministry of Defence released footage showing commandos boarding the vessel by helicopter in a nighttime raid, detaining 25 crew members. Ukraine’s Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga praised the operation, calling the shadow fleet a “tool of war” whose interdiction weakens Russia’s military financing.

The recent strikes and unfolding events underscore the persistence of hostilities in Ukraine even as international efforts seek diplomatic resolutions in other geopolitical crises.