Russian forces launched a large-scale overnight assault on Ukraine, involving missile and drone strikes that caused multiple casualties and damaged key cultural and residential sites. The attacks killed at least nine people and severely damaged the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century monastery and UNESCO World Heritage site considered one of Orthodox Christianity’s most sacred locations in eastern Europe.

Video footage circulated online showing the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra engulfed in flames following a direct strike. Tymur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv’s city administration, confirmed the monastery was hit directly and noted that emergency efforts were underway to evacuate religious artefacts and ancient icons. Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, described the destruction of the Dormition Cathedral within the Lavra as “another Russian crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity.” He appealed for prayers to save the shrine from complete destruction.

The attack drew sharp condemnation from Ukrainian officials. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy denounced the strike as “one of the greatest Russian crimes against Christian culture,” while Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko called it a “brutal assault on our people and our heritage.” France’s Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot likened the bombing to an attack on Paris’s Notre Dame or the Basilica of Saint Denis, emphasizing the cultural and religious significance of the site.

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra had been under the administration of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church since 2023, following the termination of a prior lease to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church aligned with the Moscow Patriarchate. Ukrainian security services have accused clergy members connected to the Moscow Patriarchate of collaborating with Russia.

In addition to the cultural destruction, the strikes affected civilian infrastructure in the capital. Missiles and drones targeted high-rise apartment buildings, resulting in four deaths and 23 injuries, and knocked out electricity to approximately 140,000 Kyiv residents, according to Tkachenko. The Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio was also hit, destroying the country’s largest and oldest collection of film and theatre costumes, which Ukraine’s Culture Minister Tetyana Berezhna condemned as an attack on the nation’s memory and identity.

The Ukrainian military reported that Russian forces launched 70 missiles, including 34 ballistic and 30 cruise missiles, as well as 611 drones overnight. Ukrainian air defenses reportedly intercepted 50 missiles and 582 drones. Other cities, including Kharkiv and Dnipro, were also targeted by ballistic missiles and Iranian-made Shahed drones. At least five people died and five others were wounded during firefighting operations in Kharkiv, where emergency responders were hit in a reported double-tap strike.

Residents of Kyiv were urged to stay in shelters as authorities recorded ongoing missile launches. Meanwhile, Poland briefly scrambled fighter jets amid fears of an airspace violation, but later confirmed no incursion had occurred.

President Zelenskyy reported a recent conversation with US President Joe Biden about efforts to pursue peace ahead of the upcoming G7 summit in France. The overnight wave of attacks underscores the intensification of the conflict and its impact on both civilian populations and key cultural landmarks.