--- title: "Strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra: How Russia Tries to Hide the Attack and Break the Will of Ukrainians" description: "πŸ”₯ Strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra: Russia tries to hide the attack and break the will of Ukrainians. Fire in the Dormition Cathedral, evacuation of ancient icons, and information warfare β€” all this is part of a massive attack. πŸ‡ΊπŸ‡¦πŸ›‘οΈ" date: 2026-06-16T06:34:00.000Z lang: en url: https://xab.info/en/posts/strike-on-the-kyiv-pechersk-lavra-how-russia-tries-to-hide-the-attack-and-break-the-will-of-ukrainians tags: [] publisher: "XAB.info" --- # Strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra: How Russia Tries to Hide the Attack and Break the Will of Ukrainians ![Firefighter extinguishing fire on damaged roof of church in Kyiv Pechersk Lavra after Russian strike](https://xab.info/media/2026/06/16/udar-po-kievo-pecherskoy-lavre-kak-rossiya-pytaetsya-skryt-ataku-i-slomit-volyu-ukrainskikh/udar-po-kievo-pecherskoy-lavre-kak-rossiya-pytaetsya-skryt-ataku-i-slomit-volyu-ukrainskikh-1.webp) On the night of June 15, Russia launched a massive strike against Ukraine, during which one of the country's most significant holy sites β€” the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra β€” was damaged. A fire broke out on the roof of the church after a hit on the Stepanovsky chapel. The fire was extinguished, but the damage was serious: the iconostasis, frescoes, and murals were damaged. Ancient icons, antimins, and other liturgical items were urgently evacuated from the Lavra, and the complex was temporarily closed to visitors. ### Psychological Pressure and Information Warfare According to the Institute for the Study of War (ISW), the attack on the Lavra had not only a military but also a psychological effect. Analysts believe that Vladimir Putin is using large-scale combined strikes to exert pressure on the civilian population of Ukraine. The goal is to demonstrate Russia's strength and sow fear among Ukrainians. "Putin is applying large-scale strike packages against Kyiv, trying to break Ukraine's will to fight, as well as to conceal his weakness, in particular the inability to protect Russian territory, including the capital of Russia, from deep strikes by Ukraine," the ISW report states. ### Disinformation from Russian Authorities The Russian information space is actively trying to distract attention from its own guilt. The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that so-called "confirmed reports" indicate that a Ukrainian Patriot interceptor missile hit the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. These accusations were promptly refuted by Ukrainian representatives. Yuriy Ignat, press secretary of the Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, explained that debris from an anti-aircraft missile on the ground could indeed have appeared as a result of the combat work of the Air Defense Forces, which likely intercepted an enemy supersonic "Zircon" missile. The Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council confirmed that Russia has launched a coordinated attack in the information space. The enemy is trying to impose two opposite narratives on the world: either the Ukrainian army is destroying its own historical objects, or these monuments are legitimate military targets for the Russian army. ### Reaction of Ukrainian Authorities Press Secretary of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Maria Zakharova brazenly stated that the West fabricated the claim that the aggressor country struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. She also repeated the claim of the Russian Ministry of Defense that a Ukrainian Patriot interceptor missile hit this place. Other Russian officials claimed that Ukraine staged the strike on the Lavra and that Kyiv is blaming Moscow only to provoke a response. Metropolitan Epiphanius called the attack by the Russian army another crime against humanity and Christianity. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that Russian occupiers deliberately struck a part of Kyiv where the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the "Mystetsky Arsenal" are located. ### Establishing Facts The SBU established which drones Russia used to strike the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The Russian Ministry of Defense issued its version of the massive strike against Ukraine, however, independent sources and Ukrainian authorities continue to insist that the responsibility for the attack lies exclusively with Russia.