A large-scale Russian missile and drone attack on Ukraine overnight into 15 June 2026 killed nine people — four in Kyiv and five rescue workers in Kharkiv — and set fire to the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery complex, one of Ukraine's most significant Orthodox Christian sites. About 30 people were injured in Kyiv, where strikes set apartment buildings ablaze across several parts of the city. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 70 missiles and 611 drones, primarily targeting the capital, and that air defence units downed 50 missiles and 582 drones. Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said the strikes left approximately 140,000 households in northern Kyiv without electricity.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 60 missiles at the capital and confirmed that the roof of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra cathedral was set on fire by strikes, with emergency responders subsequently extinguishing the blaze. Russia's Defence Ministry described the overnight operation as a massive strike with high-precision weapons targeting objects of the defence-industrial complex and military facilities in Kyiv, Kharkiv and Dnipro. Russia denied responsibility for damage to the cathedral, claiming it had been struck by a US Patriot missile and suggesting one reason for a possible malfunction could have been that Western countries supplied Kyiv with expired missiles. Separately, a Ukrainian drone attack in the Russian city of Tula, south of Moscow, killed three people and wounded three others.
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that was placed on the World Heritage in Danger list in 2023 because of threats linked to Russia's offensive [Source: Türkiye Today]. The monastery also holds Enhanced Protection status under the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention, a treaty framework designed to protect cultural property during armed conflict [Source: Türkiye Today].
The strikes coincided with the opening of the G7 summit in Evian-les-Bains, France, which runs from 15 to 17 June 2026 and brings together leaders of France, Britain, Canada, Germany, Italy, Japan and the United States, alongside the European Union. Zelenskyy, who was invited to attend the summit, called for a decisive and meaningful response from G7 countries, including more pressure on Russia and additional support for Ukraine's air defences. European diplomats have framed the summit as an opportunity to press for terms less favourable to Moscow, while signalling willingness to tighten sanctions and boost military support for Ukraine [Source: Al Jazeera]. Negotiations to end Russia's war in Ukraine had stalled ahead of the gathering, with Zelenskyy pressing for Europe to play a larger role in any resolution.
Sources: Sky News, Bloomberg, BBC News, Euronews, ABC News, Türkiye Today, The Times of Israel, Al Jazeera