Fire Erupts at Kyiv Lavra in Overnight Russian Barrage

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in central Kyiv was set on fire during a major Russian barrage on Monday morning.

Kyiv Post correspondents heard explosions across Kyiv after midnight, and online footage circulated showing flames engulfing the capital’s historic Orthodox monastery.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko confirmed that the attack caused a fire at the Lavra at 1:48 a.m.

“Fire on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Fire on the roof of the Assumption Cathedral,” Klitschko wrote.

Dating back to the 11th century, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (or “cave monastery”) is considered one of the most sacred religious sites in Ukraine. The UNESCO-recognized site is owned by the Ukrainian government as a national reserve, and much of it has long been open to the public.

Read more about the Lavra in this Kyiv Post report.

Local monitoring channels said the attack is ongoing as of 4 a.m., which includes dozens of drones and at least 15 ballistic missiles.

Klitschko said 19 have been injured as of 4:09 a.m. during the aerial barrage, including a child and a pregnant woman, while damages were recorded at the capital’s Obolonskyi, Podilskyi, Pecherskyi, and Solomyansky districts. 

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As the Russian invasion of Ukraine grinds through its fifth year, battlefield momentum has stalled, creating a strategic deadlock. Russian forces lost more ground than they gained in the spring, hampered by drone warfare that has created an impassable “dead zone” along the front lines. Unable to mount sweeping offensives, Moscow has scaled back its public war aims to securing the Donbas and resorted to slow infiltration tactics, particularly around the stronghold of Kostyantynivka.

“In Pecherskyi district, a 5-story residential building was hit. In the Obolonskyi district, a hit caused damage to a residential building between the third and fourth floors. In the Solomyansky district, a 9-story residential building was hit,” Klitschko wrote at 1:37 a.m.

He added that around 140,000 households in northern Kyiv were cut off from electricity due to damage to power lines.

The attack came hours after a phone call between President Volodymyr Zelensky and US President Donald Trump. In a press release, Zelensky’s office said the Ukrainian leader “informed Donald Trump about the latest developments on the battlefield and how Ukraine’s position has strengthened.”

The two are set to meet at the upcoming G7 summit in France, scheduled for June 15 to 17.