Russia launched a large-scale missile and drone assault on Ukraine on June 15, striking civilian targets across Kyiv and Kharkiv. Ballistic missiles and Shahed drones set apartment buildings ablaze in Kyiv and ignited the roof of the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra — an 11th-century UNESCO World Heritage monastery complex. At least 20 people were wounded in the capital, including a child.
In Kharkiv, a double-strike tactic proved deadly: a second Russian strike killed five rescuers who had responded to fight a blaze caused by an earlier attack. Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko confirmed the deaths and injuries to emergency personnel.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, condemned the strike on the Lavra as an attack "against humanity, against history, against Christianity," adding that Russia had deliberately targeted "the heart of one of the largest Christian shrines."