"Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko told me in a phone conversation that work to cover the roof of the Dormition Cathedral will continue for more than 10 days," Avraamii said.
He added that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had instructed officials to carry out temporary repairs to the roof as quickly as possible to prevent rainwater from entering the cathedral. The necessary materials have already been delivered.
According to the bishop, strong winds caused the fire to spread rapidly after it broke out, eventually reaching the cathedral's domes. Members of the Lavra brotherhood and emergency responders quickly arrived at the scene and began extinguishing the blaze, which lasted for more than 12 hours.
Strike on the grounds of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Overnight into June 15, Russia launched a massive combined attack on Kyiv. As a result of a double drone strike on the grounds of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a major fire broke out in the Dormition Cathedral. In addition to the monastery complex, the Oleksandr Dovzhenko Film Studio and the Mystetskyi Arsenal museum complex were also damaged during the attack.
UNESCO has already responded to the strike, although the international organization once again stopped short of directly naming the aggressor. UNESCO officially condemned the attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which is part of the World Heritage site "Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings," describing it as one of Ukraine's most important spiritual and cultural landmarks.
However, in its statement, UNESCO did not mention Russia's responsibility for the attack or note that the destruction had resulted from a deliberate, large-scale strike by Russian forces.