Russia Denies Responsibility for Strike on Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Blames Ukraine

Russia's permanent mission to UNESCO stated that Russia strictly adheres to its obligations under the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict and does not strike civilian infrastructure. The statement came in response to questions about the strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery.

The mission posted a Russian Defense Ministry statement on its Telegram channel saying that overnight on June 15, Russian forces struck defense industry facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv, and Dnipro. The ministry also claimed that the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex was hit by a missile from a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system.

Russia launched a massive strike on Kyiv overnight on June 15. The attack set fire to the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a historic and architectural landmark listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Icons and relics were carried from the monastery in an effort to save them from the flames.

According to the Lavra's director, Maksym Ostapenko, Russia carried out two targeted drone strikes on the site. UNESCO said that, based on available information, the strike caused significant damage to both the exterior and interior of the Dormition Cathedral.

Russia's Defense Ministry, for its part, reiterated that the Lavra complex had been hit by a missile from a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system.