Kyiv: Russia launched a massive airstrike on Ukraine, with the Russian military targeting both western and eastern regions on Sunday night and Monday morning. The offensive resulted in at least nine deaths and caused a significant fire at a cathedral within the historic Pechersk Lavra monastery in Kyiv.
According to Thai News Agency, the attacks involved a combination of drones and missiles, which struck multiple locations. In Kyiv, the assault led to the deaths of four individuals and injuries to at least 23 others. The attacks caused damage to residential buildings and power grids, leaving over 140,000 households without electricity. Residents sought refuge in subway stations for safety. In Kharkiv, five firefighters from the State Emergency Services lost their lives in a subsequent attack while responding to a fire. The Kharkiv Art Museum also suffered damage due to a fire outbreak.
The Pechersk Lavra, a significant 11th-century Orthodox Christian monastery and UNESCO World Heritage site in Kyiv, sustained considerable damage. A drone strike severely damaged the roof of its main building, the Dormition Cathedral. Ukrainian authorities have denounced the attack as a direct strike on a critical historical site and are preparing to petition UNESCO to condemn the destruction.
Prior to these events, Ukrainian forces conducted a drone strike in the Tula region, south of Moscow, resulting in three Russian casualties. Ukrainian forces also targeted two bridges connecting to the Crimean Peninsula to disrupt Russian supply lines. In response, the Polish military, a NATO member, deployed fighter jets for reconnaissance and temporarily enhanced its ground-based air defense systems to monitor potential air threats.
These developments unfolded shortly after separate phone discussions between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, Russian President Vladimir Putin, and U.S. President Donald Trump. The conversations focused on peace negotiation strategies ahead of this week's G7 summit in France, which Trump is expected to attend.