Holy Fire: Russia strikes Unesco cathedral in Kyiv as G7 gathers in France — Zelenskyy calls it 'one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture'

15 June 2026 | Kyiv, Evian, Brussels — Updated 14:30 GMT

The flames rose from the golden domes of the Dormition Cathedral. For centuries, it has stood as a symbol of Orthodox Christianity in Ukraine. Today, it burns.

Russia launched a massive overnight attack on Kyiv — 70 missiles and 611 drones, according to Ukraine's military. The Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, a Unesco world heritage site and one of Ukraine's most significant religious and cultural sites, was badly damaged. The Dormition Cathedral is on fire.

"One of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date," Volodymyr Zelenskyy said. "What more must the Kremlin Antichrist do for the world to realise that decisive action must be taken?"

At least 11 people were killed across Ukraine. Four in Kyiv. Five in Kharkiv. Three in the Russian city of Tula, where Ukraine struck back.

Russia denied targeting the cathedral. "The armed forces of the Russian Federation do not plan or carry out strikes against civilian infrastructure," the defence ministry said. They claimed a US-made Patriot missile had damaged the site.

But outside the Pechersk Lavra complex on Monday morning, state security officers stood over the remains of two Shahed drones. A tumbled gilded dome lay in the street. Witnesses contradicted Moscow's claims.

"I'm from Bakhmut," said a young priest who volunteers as an army chaplain. "This site is important to everyone. But for the Russians, nothing is sacred. There is no sanctuary."

The attack came as G7 leaders gathered in Evian, France, to discuss increasing pressure on Russia. "We will discuss the next steps to increase pressure on Russia, bring Putin to the negotiating table, and end this senseless killing," said Ursula von der Leyen.

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas called the attacks "war crimes" and announced additional sanctions targeting Russia's military-industrial complex and its shadow fleet. Sweden urged European allies to do more to constrain Russia's shadow fleet, which keeps oil revenues flowing to fund the war.

Welcome to the new reality — where cathedrals are targets, where G7 summits are overshadowed by flames, and where Russia's war on Ukraine shows no sign of ending.

'Nothing Is Sacred': Russian Strike Sets Unesco Cathedral Ablaze

A massive Russian missile and drone attack on Kyiv has badly damaged the Dormition Cathedral in the Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, a Unesco world heritage site and one of Ukraine's most significant religious and cultural sites.

Nine people were killed across the country, including four in Kyiv, where waves of drones and missiles drove residents to underground shelters and heavy explosions echoed throughout the capital.

Kyiv's Oleksandr Dovzhenko national film studio, which houses Ukraine's largest and oldest costume collection, was also hit.

Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the cathedral attack as "one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date" and urged G7 leaders meeting in France on Monday to increase their pressure on Moscow.

"It is very important that there be a response from the G7 countries, which are now gathering for their summit – and that this response be decisive and substantive: more pressure on the aggressor and more support for Ukraine's air defence, especially anti-ballistic capabilities," the Ukrainian president said.

Russia denied targeting the cathedral and claimed it had been hit with a US-made Patriot air-defence missile.

Two Shahed Drones Tell a Different Story

Outside the Perchersk-Lavra complex on Monday morning a group of state security officers stood over the remains of two Shahed drones at the site, contradicting the Russian claim.

Further along the road, a tumbled gilded dome lay in the street where it had been toppled by a drone that had struck the upper floors of the Art Arsenal museum space.

"I only heard one of the two strikes at 4.55am in the morning," said a young priest who volunteers as an army chaplain and declined to give his name. "The explosion was massive and blew open one of our windows," he added as he tugged at a section of copper roofing. "Everything was shaking.

"I'm from Bakhmut [the Donbas city levelled during Russia's devastating siege and capture]. This site is important to everyone. But for the Russians nothing is sacred there is no sanctuary. They will claim there was a military object here because they have no values."

Ukraine would be "urgently initiating" procedures within Unesco and other international mechanisms to ensure "immediate and adequate responses to this state barbarism", the foreign minister, Andrii Sybiha, said on X in reference to the monastery attack.

France's foreign ministry said the attack on Pechersk Lavra was the equivalent of a strike on the Notre Dame cathedral. Its foreign minister, Jean-Noël Barrot said it demonstrated the extent of Russia's "cruelty".

As dawn broke and the monastery was still burning, staff rang bells in a gesture of defiance.

11 Dead, 53 Wounded: The Toll of Russia's Overnight Barrage

Ukraine's Volodymyr Zelenskyy also insisted the Russian attack "deliberately" targeted the Unesco-listed religious site, despite denials from Moscow.

In a post on X, he said: "It has been confirmed that two Russian drones deliberately targeted the part of the city where the Lavra and the Mystetskyi Arsenal are located.

"As of now, 35 people are reported injured in Kyiv. Across the country, 53 people have been wounded, and 11 people are known to have been killed in this massive Russian attack."

Four people were killed and 23 injured in Kyiv, said Tymur Tkachenko, the head of Kyiv's military administration. Outside the capital, at least five people were killed in the city of Kharkiv in what appeared to be a double-tap strike targeting emergency responders.

Damage was reported at 16 locations across the capital amid the sound of interceptor launches and explosions that shook windows in the city centre. "New launches targeting the capital keep being recorded," said Tkachenko, urging people to remain in shelters.

Poland, an EU and Nato member, scrambled fighter jets and put ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance on a state of readiness, the Polish armed forces said on Monday morning.

Ukraine's military said on Monday morning that Russia had launched 70 missiles and 611 drones on Ukraine overnight and that its air defence had shot down 50 missiles and 582 drones of various types.

The attack was launched as global attention was focused on the latest efforts by the Trump administration to sign a peace deal with Iran, and in the midst of Trump's cage-fighting spectacle on the White House lawn to mark his 80th birthday.

G7 to Discuss Pressure on Russia as Cathedral Burns

The G7 summit host, France's president Emmanuel Macron, also condemned the attack on the Unesco-listed Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery.

In a post on X, he said that "nothing justifies this attack on our universal heritage."

"France stands ready to cooperate with the Ukrainian authorities in charge of heritage.

"This attack only strengthens our determination to do everything, with our allies and partners, to work toward a ceasefire that Russia continues to obstinately refuse, and then toward peace. We will strive for this at the G7 in Evian."

European Commission's president, Ursula von der Leyen, said ahead of the G7 summit: "We will discuss the next steps to increase pressure on Russia, bring Putin to the negotiating table, and end this senseless killing.

"Europe wants peace. Nobody more than the Ukrainian people. Russia, on the other hand, showed again its sole interest in violence and destruction."

Meanwhile, the European Council president, António Costa, said that "the massive bombings and attacks overnight targeting civilians and the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a Unesco site, are yet another reminder that Russia is continuing its escalation."

He added: "These attacks demonstrate Russia's unwillingness to engage seriously in peace negotiations. But time is not on Russia's side.

"When G7 Leaders meet in Evian today, we will discuss how to increase pressure on Russia to come to the negotiating table for a just and lasting peace in Ukraine."

EU's foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said the overnight attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets and a Unesco world heritage site in Kyiv amounted to "war crimes" and "Russia will have to answer for them."

Kallas, chairing the meeting of the bloc's foreign ministers today, added: "In response, today we are adopting additional sanctions targeting Russia's military-industrial complex and its shadow fleet. Every measure further restricts Russia's room for manoeuvre."

Sweden Urges European Allies to Constrain Russia's Shadow Fleet

Sweden has urged European allies to do more to constrain Russia's shadow fleet, which keeps oil revenues flowing to fund the Kremlin's war on Ukraine.

Sweden has intercepted five shadow fleet vessels so far this year and would like other countries to do more to stop these old, often poorly maintained vessels that transport Russian oil in defiance of western sanctions.

In a joint letter to EU leaders, Sweden's minister for foreign affairs, Maria Stenergard, and minister for civil defence, Carl-Oskar Bohlin, wrote: "It is crucial that all member states share the responsibility to constrain the ecosystem that supports these vessels."

The ministers also write that the shadow fleet "undermines maritime safety standards and poses environmental risks to our waters".

In a statement Stenergard said: "The shadow fleet is funding drones and missiles hitting Ukraine. If we're serious about bringing the war to an end, acting against the shadow fleet is not optional."

The intervention came after British armed forces seized a shadow fleet oil tanker on Sunday for the first time since the war in Ukraine. France and Belgium have taken similar actions in the past.

Sweden also urged swift adoption of the EU's latest proposed sanctions against Russia, which include measures to constrain Russia's oil revenues in response to surging oil prices. The EU's 21st sanctions package, proposed last week, would maintain the current oil price cap at $44 a barrel until next January to limit Russian gains from rising oil prices.

According to Sweden, Russia's oil revenues were down 50% year on year in January 2026 - before Donald Trump launched his war in Iran, plunging oil markets into turmoil. European countries fear that rising oil prices are putting more money into the Kremlin's war chest.

Ukraine Strikes Back: Three Killed in Russian City of Tula

Ukraine has recently intensified attacks on Russian industrial and energy facilities, as it tries to deprive Moscow of revenues and hasten an end to the war. On Monday, three people were killed and another three, including a one-year-old child, were injured in a drone attack on the Russian city of Tula, an industrial cluster south of Moscow, the regional governor said in a Telegram post.

Ukraine also moved overnight to cut off further supplies from the Crimean peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014 and already grappling with a fuel crisis, by hitting two bridges connecting it to the Russian-controlled areas.

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