Ukraine is enduring a large-scale air attack by Russia that has killed at least 9 people and damaged the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Meanwhile, Ukraine retaliated with drone attacks targeting areas south of Moscow, resulting in 3 deaths on the Russian side.
Ukrainian authorities revealed that this latest Russian airstrike was the most severe in two weeks, causing 4 deaths and injuring at least 23 people in Kyiv. Explosions and missile debris damaged numerous residential buildings and destroyed power lines, leaving over 140,000 residents in the northern part of the capital without electricity. Many civilians fled to underground metro stations to seek shelter.
The primary target directly hit in this attack was the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra monastery, founded in 1051 and recognized by UNESCO as a World Heritage site. A fierce fire broke out on the roof of the Dormition Cathedral, creating a large hole. Ukrainian firefighters deployed more than ten fire trucks to control the blaze.
Timur Tkachenko, head of Kyiv's military administration, and Ukraine’s Deputy Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko condemned the attack as a crime against humanity and history. The head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church strongly denounced Russian President Vladimir Putin and called on the world to awaken and stop Russia's brutality.
The tensions also prompted neighboring Poland, a member of the European Union and NATO, to scramble fighter jets to patrol its airspace in preparation for potential incursions. The alert was later lifted after no irregularities were detected.
Other regions of Ukraine are also facing crisis. Ihor Klymenko, Ukraine’s Minister of Internal Affairs, reported that Kharkiv, the country’s second-largest city, suffered a second wave of Russian attacks on the same locations, killing 5 rescue workers who were extinguishing fires and injuring at least 9 others.
Additionally, there were reports of one injury in the Dnipropetrovsk region and three injuries—including one child—in the Sumy region.
On the Russian side, Dmitry Milyaev, governor of the industrial Tula region about 200 kilometers south of Moscow, reported that Ukrainian drones attacked, causing 3 deaths and injuring 3 others, including a one-year-old infant. Meanwhile, Moscow's mayor stated that air defense systems intercepted drone attacks overnight.
Currently, Ukraine has intensified air assaults on Russia's industrial and energy infrastructure, including oil depots, aiming to cut off revenue streams supporting Moscow’s military. However, both sides deny targeting civilians.
Amid the fierce fighting, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and Russian President Vladimir Putin held a direct phone conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump last Sunday.
Ukraine said the discussion focused on paths toward a swift peace ahead of the G7 summit in France this week, while the Kremlin stated that Trump emphasized the importance of ending the conflict in Ukraine and expressed readiness to assist.
However, Russian authorities added that the talks between Putin and Trump mainly concentrated on the newly concluded U.S.-Iran peace framework in the Middle East, which is expected to be officially signed in Switzerland this Friday. The progress in the Middle East highlights the much slower advancement of the over four-year peace process in Ukraine that has claimed hundreds of thousands of lives.