Flames tore through one of Kyiv’s most revered landmarks after Russia unleashed a sweeping overnight assault on Ukraine, a barrage that authorities say killed 11 people and struck multiple major cities even as Ukrainian drones hit back inside Russia, leaving three dead south of Moscow.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said two Russian drones had “deliberately” targeted the monastery quarter of the capital, igniting fires at the UNESCO-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex.
“It has been confirmed that two Russian drones deliberately targeted the part of the city where the Lavra and the Mystetskyi Arsenal are located,” he said on social media, sharing video from his visit to the damaged area.
“This is one of Russia’s most serious crimes against Christian culture to date.”
First responders have put out the fires in Kyiv – at the Lavra and the Mystetskyi Arsenal. I am grateful to all the services working at the sites of the strikes, and to everyone who is helping. It has been confirmed that two Russian drones deliberately targeted the part of the… pic.twitter.com/EwfUTXWAsj
— Volodymyr Zelenskyy / Володимир Зеленський (@ZelenskyyUa) June 15, 2026
The Ukrainian air force said Moscow launched 70 missiles and 611 drones, with the main focus on Kyiv. It said air defence units shot down 50 missiles and 582 drones.
The strikes came as reports of a US-Iran deal began to open a path toward peace in the Middle East war, underscoring how little momentum there has been toward ending more than four years of fighting in Ukraine.
In northeast Ukraine, five rescue workers were killed while battling fires during what Interior Minister Igor Klymenko said were repeated Russian strikes on Kharkiv. At least five others were wounded, he added.
Kyiv also suffered deadly damage. The attacks killed another four people in the capital, where blazes erupted on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the roof of the Dormition Cathedral caught fire.
AFP journalists in the city described residents sprinting for shelter as air defences intercepted projectiles overhead and glowing debris rained down across Kyiv.
Russia’s military said it carried out a “massive strike” against Ukrainian military sites in Kyiv and in the Kharkiv and Dnipro regions.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine’s Primate denounced the attack on Kyiv Pechersk Lavra as a “crime against humanity, history and Christianity”
‘Repeated Russian strikes’
Outside the cathedral, more than a dozen fire engines ringed the site as crews worked to smother the flames, battling the blaze from inside the building and from aerial platforms.
A large hole was visible in one side of the church, and fire could be seen licking from the roof, which was left partially destroyed.
The Ministry of Culture has previously reported damage to several buildings in the complex during Russian attacks in January.
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra — a monastery famed for its golden domes — has been at the centre of controversy in recent years after monks were expelled amid accusations of ties to Moscow.
The Orthodox Church of Ukraine formally broke from Russia in 2022. Two years later, the Ukrainian government went further, banning the Ukraine branch of the Orthodox Church linked to Moscow.
The Russian Orthodox Church has, as an institution, firmly backed President Vladimir Putin since he launched Russia’s offensive on Ukraine in 2022.
Tymur Tkachenko, head of the local military administration, condemned what he called a “direct strike” on the site.
Kyiv’s Metropolitan Epiphanius likewise condemned the attack as a “crime against humanity, history and Christianity.”
Officials reported at least 23 people injured in the capital, while 140,000 residents in northern districts were left without electricity.
Ukrainian air defences intercepted incoming Russian missiles above Kyiv
Kharkiv, Ukraine’s major northeastern city, was also hit by missile strikes.
“Five State Emergency Service rescuers were killed during firefighting operations as a result of a repeated Russian strike,” Klymenko said on Telegram, adding that at least nine people were injured.
Oleksandr Hanzha, head of the military administration in the Dnipropetrovsk region, said Dnipro was also targeted and that one person was wounded.
In the Sumy region, governor Oleg Grygorov said three people were wounded in the northeastern district, including a child.
Across the border in Russia, a Ukrainian drone strike killed three people and wounded three others in the city of Tula — about 200 kilometres (120 miles) south of Moscow — regional governor Dmitry Milyaev said today.
The Kharkiv Art Museum was hit in a Russian drone strike
Peace talks
Zelensky and Russian leader Vladimir Putin both spoke yesterday with US President Donald Trump about the war.
Writing on X, Zelensky said he had “discussed things that could help bring about peace now.” His adviser Dmytro Lytvyn told reporters he was satisfied with a “quite substantive conversation about everything” between the leaders.
The Kremlin said the Putin-Trump call centred on peace negotiations involving the United States and Iran.
Russia’s invasion has become Europe’s most devastating conflict since World War II, killing thousands of civilians and hundreds of thousands of troops.
As Russian drones and missiles pound Ukrainian cities almost daily, Ukraine has recently intensified its own air strikes. Kyiv says these attacks largely focus on Russia’s oil infrastructure in an effort to reduce the profits it says help bankroll the war.
Kremlin adviser Yury Ushakov told reporters that “US presidential special representatives Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who are currently closely involved in Iranian affairs, will return to Russia soon”.
