Russian strike leaves Lviv monastery building uninhabitable after direct drone hit

The findings were announced by Yevhen Boiko, managing director of the executive committee of the Lviv City Council.

According to Boiko, St. Andrew’s Church, which is part of the Bernardine Monastery complex, was barely damaged. “Of the 16 stained-glass compositions, 4 were shattered and 1 more has minor damage. Most of them were saved by protective shielding installed in advance,” he said.

The attack also damaged the 1734 bell tower and the archive building, both part of the complex, where eight windows were blown out. But the residential building suffered the most damage after a direct hit by a Russian drone.

“The destruction is enormous: the roof and floors have been destroyed, the wooden structures were burned out, and the load-bearing walls were damaged. Inside, there are collapses, stair landings have been destroyed, some historic elements have been lost, and there are visible traces of a severe fire. The building is in an emergency condition and unfit for habitation, and some structures may continue to collapse,” Boiko said.

Workers are now sealing window openings in the church and bell tower at the site of the Russian attack and removing stained glass. “At the same time, the Cultural Heritage Protection Office is bringing in experts — they will assess the damage and prepare a restoration plan,” Boiko added.

Russia’s attack on Ukraine on March 24

Russia launched a mass attack on Ukraine on March 24. Lviv, Ivano-Frankivsk, Vinnytsia and Ternopil oblasts were among the areas hit. In Ivano-Frankivsk, a National Guard serviceman and his 15-year-old daughter were killed in the attack.

In Lviv Oblast, about 32 people were injured. Officials also reported a strike on a UNESCO World Heritage site, later identified as the Bernardine Monastery complex. The building that has now been declared unsafe housed the apartment of Taras Ishchyk, a brand designer for Ukraine’s Armed Forces, and Ukrainian pianist Marta Kuzii.

According to the Air Force of Ukraine’s Armed Forces, air defense units shot down or suppressed 541 enemy UAVs during Russia’s mass drone attack on Ukraine.