Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture announced today that massive Russian attacks carried out on Saturday in Kyiv caused damage to buildings of the orthodox Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, which is also a UNESCO World Heritage site.
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Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture announcement
According to the announcement, the facade, doors and windows of two buildings, including a church, were hit and a technical inspection will soon be carried out to “assess their structural integrity.”
“On the night of January 24th, areas within the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, which is a UNESCO World Heritage monument, sustained damage following a massive attack by Russian missiles and drones against Kyiv,” the ministry emphasized in its statement.
Since the beginning of the Russian invasion in 2022, “1,640 cultural heritage monuments and 2,446 cultural infrastructure sites have been damaged,” the ministry noted.
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, famous for its golden domes, has been in the media spotlight in recent years following the expulsion of the monastery’s monks, who were accused of ties to Moscow. Its abbot was placed under house arrest and then briefly imprisoned before being released on bail.
Saturday night’s air raids left at least one dead and 27 wounded, while delegations from Ukraine, Russia and the United States were in Abu Dhabi for talks aimed at ending the war in Ukraine.
