Images show flames rising from the famous Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, in central Kyiv. The monastery, founded in 1051, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The Pechersk Monastery has been making headlines in recent years. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church officially broke with Russia in 2002, and two years later, the Ukrainian government banned the branch of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine that has ties to Moscow. The monastery’s monks were exiled.
The Russian Orthodox Church has rallied behind Vladimir Putin since he launched the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
The Russian Defense Ministry denies attacking the monastery.
