The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, the famous cave monastery in the Ukrainian capital Kiev, has been hit by Russia. There have been casualties in the attack.
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, a monastery on the UNESCO World Heritage List, has been seriously damaged by a direct air strike.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga called the Russian attack “barbaric”, Sky News reported. Only Russian scum, who have nothing sacred about them, could deliberately damage the monastery - one of Ukraine's holiest sites, the Ukrainian minister said.
“Russia has no excuse for ruining human lives, attacking residential areas and destroying Ukrainian culture. She must be held accountable for her crimes," Sibiga also said.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky described the Russian attack on the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra as a grave crime against Christian culture, Reuters reported, BTA reports.
"A Russian attack on the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra set fire to the Assumption Cathedral — a church with a history dating back to the 11th century. And this is one of Russia's gravest crimes against Christian culture to date", Zelensky wrote in Ex.
He called on the G-7 countries to increase pressure on Russia and increase assistance for Ukraine's air defense.
"It is very important to have a reaction from the G-7 countries, which are currently gathering for their meeting — "and this response must be decisive and substantial: more pressure on the aggressor and more support for Ukraine's air defenses, especially its capabilities to counter ballistic missiles," Zelensky said.
Russia denied on Monday that it had struck the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, a historic monastery in Kiev, during an overnight attack on what it said were military plants in the Ukrainian capital, and said a U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile had damaged the religious site, Reuters reported.