Drone strikes one of Ukraine's key Christian and cultural sites

+ Accessibility links Skip to main content Keyboard shortcuts for audio player Open Navigation Menu --> Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Close Navigation Menu Home News Expand/collapse submenu for News National World Politics Business Health Science Climate Race Culture Expand/collapse submenu for Culture Books Movies Television Pop Culture Food Art & Design Performing Arts Life Kit Gaming Music Expand/collapse submenu for Music Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions Podcasts & Shows Expand/collapse submenu for Podcasts & Shows Daily Morning Edition Weekend Edition Saturday Weekend Edition Sunday All Things Considered Up First Here & Now NPR Politics Podcast Featured Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me! Fresh Air Wild Card with Rachel Martin It's Been a Minute Embedded Get NPR+ More Podcasts & Shows Search Newsletters NPR Shop Get NPR+ Tiny Desk New Music Friday All Songs Considered Music Features Live Sessions About NPR Diversity Support Careers Press Ethics Drone strikes one of Ukraine’s key Christian and cultural sites Russian strikes have left cultural scars across Ukraine, damaging Kharkiv's Art Museum and striking Kyiv's historic Pechersk Lavra monastery, reminding how war reaches even sacred and storied places. World Drone strikes one of Ukraine's key Christian and cultural sites June 15, 20264:50 PM ET Heard on All Things Considered By Hanna Palamarenko Drone strikes one of Ukraine’s key Christian and cultural sites Listen &middot; 3:00 3:00 Transcript Toggle more options Download Embed Embed "> <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/nx-s1-5858862/nx-s1-9811524" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player"> Transcript Russian strikes have left cultural scars across Ukraine, damaging Kharkiv's Art Museum and striking Kyiv's historic Pechersk Lavra monastery, reminding how war reaches even sacred and storied places. Sponsor Message SCOTT DETROW, HOST: Russia launched multiple waves of airstrikes on Sunday and Monday across Ukraine. At least 11 people were killed. Cultural and religious landmarks were also damaged, including a cathedral within a UNESCO World Heritage monastery complex. The attacks have drawn condemnation and renewed calls for greater international pressure over the destruction of cultural heritage. Hanna Palamarenko reports from Kyiv.

+ (SOUNDBITE OF MISSILE STRIKES) HANNA PALAMARENKO, BYLINE: Kyiv residents are used to being awakened by Russian missiles and drones, but the barrage over the past 24 hours struck more than the city itself. (SOUNDBITE OF MISSILE STRIKES) PALAMARENKO: On early Monday morning, a drone hit the roof of the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery, one of Ukraine's most important religious and cultural landmarks and a UNESCO Heritage site. MAKSYM OSTAPENKO: (Non-English language spoken). PALAMARENKO: Maksym Ostapenko, director general of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, filmed the cathedral engulfed in flames in the immediate aftermath of the strike. OSTAPENKO: (Non-English language spoken). PALAMARENKO: "The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is nearly 1,000 years old. This is a cradle of Ukrainian science, medicine and the arts," Ostapenko explains, and the center from which Christianity spread across much of Eurasia, all the way to the Pacific. (SOUNDBITE OF WATER DRIPPING) PALAMARENKO: Inside the cathedral, it's dark and smells of incense mixed with burnt wood. Water used by firefighters to extinguish the blaze runs down the walls adorned with frescoes and gilding that are hundreds of years old. (SOUNDBITE OF ECHOING FOOTSTEPS) PALAMARENKO: But the most extensive damage is visible when you climb up to the dome of the cathedral itself. (SOUNDBITE OF WOOD SNAPPING) PALAMARENKO: The state emergency service is dismantling the burnt wooden structures of the dome. The strike also caused significant damage to the exterior of the Dormition Cathedral. AVRAAMIY: (Non-English language spoken). PALAMARENKO: Bishop Avraamiy, the vicar of the Dormition Cathedral, says this deliberate attack contradicts Christian principles and undermines the values Russia claims to uphold. Russia denied deliberately hitting the monastery complex, saying it was damaged by U.S.-made patriot air defense systems. Ostapenko says that the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the Dormition Cathedral have endured destruction before. OSTAPENKO: (Non-English language spoken). PALAMARENKO: "This is our phoenix," he says, "which has always risen from the ashes." Hanna Palamarenko, NPR News, Kyiv. (SOUNDBITE OF MUSIC) Copyright &copy; 2026 NPR. All rights reserved. Visit our website terms of use and permissions pages at www.npr.org for further information. Accuracy and availability of NPR transcripts may vary. Transcript text may be revised to correct errors or match updates to audio. Audio on npr.org may be edited after its original broadcast or publication. The authoritative record of NPR’s programming is the audio record. Facebook Flipboard Email Read & Listen Home News Culture Music Podcasts & Shows Connect Newsletters Facebook Instagram Press Public Editor Corrections Transcripts Contact & Help About NPR Overview Diversity NPR Network Accessibility Ethics Finances Get Involved Support Public Radio Sponsor NPR NPR Careers NPR Shop NPR Extra Terms of Use Privacy Your Privacy Choices Text Only Sponsor Message Sponsor Message Become an NPR sponsor (function () { var loadPageJs = function () { (window.webpackJsonp=window.webpackJsonp||[]).push([[22],{309:function(e,n,o){o.p=NPR.serverVars.webpackPublicPath,Promise.all([o.e(1),o.e(2),o.e(3),o.e(4),o.e(81)]).then((e=>{o(15),o(770),o(154),o(175),o(93),o(448),o(253),o(128),o(130),o(755),o(174),o(756),o(254),o(77),o(774)}).bind(null,o)).catch(o.oe)},783:function(e,n,o){e.exports=o(309)}},[[783,0]]]); }; if (document.readyState === 'complete') { loadPageJs(); } else { window.addEventListener('load', function load() { window.removeEventListener('load', load, false); loadPageJs(); }); } })();