The area of the monastery and museum complex of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is closed to the public due to significant damage after the night attack of the Russian army. Referring to the management of the monument reserve, the Ukrainian media reported on this on Monday, writes TASR.
- The premises of the Kyiv Pečerská Lavra are closed after a nighttime rocket attack.
- A massive attack on Kiev killed at least four civilians.
During the attack of the Russian army on Kyiv on Monday night, the altar part of the Dormition Church (Temple of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary) was hit, the roof of which caught fire, added Kyiv Mayor Vitaly Klitschko.
Damage to historical buildings
Another intervention in the complex damaged the tower of Joanna Kuščnyk – a defensive building from the 17th-18th centuries, which is part of the fortification of the so-called upper lava.
As the abbot of the monastery, Bishop Avraamij, informed on the Facebook social network, the clergy and rescuers managed to remove ancient icons and other valuable sacred objects from the buildings. Their evacuation was managed to be organized shortly after the site was hit, the British station BBC reported.
Bishop Avraamij added that the damage to such a place represents a painful loss not only for believers, but also for all who “are aware of the importance of spiritual, cultural and historical heritage for future generations.”
The attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was also confirmed by the general director of this monument reserve, Maksym Ostapenko.
The entire complex, together with the Church of St. Sophia, has been on the UNESCO World Heritage List since 1990.
Intervention of the film studio
Oleksandr Dovzhenko’s National Film Studios in Kyiv – one of the oldest film companies in Ukraine – became the target of the attack on Monday night.
According to the Vice-President of the Ukrainian Government for Humanitarian Policy Tetyana Berezhna, a fire broke out in the building after the intervention and the employees of the costume department suffered injuries.
Damage to costumes and buildings
According to her, the largest and oldest collection of costumes in Ukraine was also destroyed during the attack. The film studio kept about 100,000 costumes and three million pieces of different clothing. Other buildings of the complex are also damaged.
Ukrainian police said the massive attack on Kiev was carried out by ballistic missiles and drones, hitting most urban areas of the Ukrainian capital. At least four people lost their lives and another 23 were injured, local authorities reported on Monday morning. In terms of material damage, apartment and family buildings, a business center, administrative buildings, educational facilities, a marketplace and parked cars were damaged.
Investigation teams, pyrotechnicians, rescuers, paramedics and psychologists work at the sites of interventions and debris impact. The police said in a press release that their officers are “documenting the consequences of another war crime by the Russian Federation against the civilian population.”
