A massive Russian missile and drone attack struck Ukraine on Monday morning, killing at least five people across the country. In Kharkiv, five rescuers were killed and five others wounded when a second Russian strike hit while they were fighting a blaze caused by an earlier attack. In the capital, Kyiv, a wave of ballistic missiles followed by Shahed drones wounded at least 13 people, including a child.
The strikes caused significant destruction to civilian infrastructure in Kyiv. In the Shevchenkivskyi district, five strikes occurred in less than 30 minutes, hitting a 25-story apartment building, a market, and a grocery store. A nine-story residential building in the Obolonskyi district also took a direct hit. Damage to electricity lines left 140,000 Kyiv residents without power.
The attack also targeted the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO-listed World Heritage site and one of Ukraine's most significant religious landmarks. A serious fire broke out at the monastic complex, including a fire on the roof of the Dormition Cathedral. The site, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, features churches and monasteries built from the 11th to the 19th century, connected by a labyrinth of caves spanning more than 600 meters.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, condemned the strike as a crime against humanity, history, and Christianity. Officials described the attack on the residential blocks and the Christian shrine as a deliberate decision.