Nine killed as Russian strikes hit Kyiv, Kharkiv and damage UNESCO-listed monastery

The death toll from a wave of Russian missile and drone attacks across Ukraine rose to nine on Monday, officials said, after strikes on Kyiv and Kharkiv killed emergency responders, injured dozens of civilians and damaged one of the country’s most significant religious landmarks.

Kyiv’s military administration chief, Tymur Tkachenko, said four people were killed and 23 others wounded in the capital, including a child.

“Twenty-three wounded are known of in Kyiv, including a child. Tragically, the number of those killed has risen to four,” Tkachenko wrote on Telegram.

In the northeastern city of Kharkiv, Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said five emergency service personnel were killed while responding to an earlier attack. According to Klymenko, the rescuers were hit by a second Russian strike as they worked to extinguish a fire caused by the initial bombardment. At least five other emergency workers were injured.

A series of powerful explosions rocked Kyiv overnight as Russia launched ballistic missiles followed by waves of Shahed drones, triggering air raid alerts and sending residents scrambling for shelter.

“Kyiv is under the main strike. There is significant destruction of civilian infrastructure,” Klymenko said.

Officials reported at least five impacts on civilian sites in Kyiv’s Shevchenkivskyi district within half an hour, including damage to a 25-storey apartment building. A market and grocery store also caught fire. In the Obolonskyi district, a nine-storey residential building sustained a direct hit.

Tkachenko accused Moscow of intentionally targeting residential neighbourhoods.

“This is their deliberate decision,” he said.

The attacks also caused major damage to the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Ukraine’s most revered Christian landmarks. Authorities said a significant fire broke out at the sprawling monastery complex, while Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said the roof of the Dormition Cathedral caught fire during the assault.

He condemned the attack as a crime “against humanity, against history, against Christianity” and appealed for prayers to preserve the centuries-old site.

Founded in the 11th century, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, includes churches, monasteries and an extensive network of underground passages stretching more than 600 metres. Overlooking the Dnipro River, it remains one of Eastern Europe’s most important religious and cultural treasures.

The latest strikes come as Russia’s war against Ukraine enters its fifth year, with Moscow intensifying long-range missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian cities and critical infrastructure.