Russia’s War On Faith: The Toll On Ukraine’s Religious Communities

On June 15, Russia launched a missile and drone strike across Ukraine. One of the places hit during the attack was the UNESCO World Heritage site-listed Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an Orthodox Christian monastery complex built in the 11th century and one of Ukraine’s most important religious sites. Reuters reported that the roof of the Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra had received extensive damage from the attack.

Russia has “demonstrated the full brutality of its actions,” French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot said ahead of the Foreign Affairs Council on June 15. “For us French, this would be equivalent to bombing Notre-Dame or the Basilica of Saint-Denis.”