Russia's heaviest overnight attack in two weeks kills nine, sets Kyiv Pechersk Lavra UNESCO monastery ablaze

Overnight strikes hit Kyiv and Kharkiv

Russian forces launched a large-scale aerial assault on Ukraine in the early hours of Monday, 15 June 2026, using ballistic missiles and Shahed drones. Explosions echoed across Kyiv, where multiple districts were hit. A 25-storey apartment building in the Shevchenkivskyi district and a nine-storey residential block in Obolonskyi were struck, while a market and grocery store caught fire. In Kharkiv, Ukraine's second city, five emergency service workers were killed and at least five others injured when a second Russian strike hit the site where they were fighting a blaze caused by an earlier attack.

Kyiv is under the main strike. There is significant destruction of civilian infrastructure.

Authorities said at least four people died in Kyiv and more than 20 sought medical help, including a child. Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that 140,000 residents in northern districts lost power after electricity lines were damaged.

Historic monastery engulfed in flames

The 11th-century Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site also known as the Monastery of the Caves, was struck in a direct attack. The roof of the Dormition Cathedral caught fire, and a facade was blown out. More than a dozen fire trucks were deployed. Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, accused Russia of deliberately striking "the heart of one of the largest Christian shrines." He also said apartment blocks were hit on purpose, calling it "their deliberate decision."

A brutal assault on our people and our heritage. This is the true face of Russia's Orthodox values.

A crime against humanity, against history, against Christianity.

Founded in 1051, the complex of golden-domed churches and underground caves spans more than 600 metres and has been a pilgrimage destination for centuries. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which separated from the Moscow patriarchate in 2022, condemned the attack.

Massive aerial bombardment

Russia fired 70 missiles and 611 drones, according to preliminary data from Ukraine's military. Air defences intercepted 50 missiles and 582 drones. It was the heaviest Russian air attack on the capital in two weeks.

Diplomatic backdrop and regional alert

The assault came hours after Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy and US President Donald Trump spoke about efforts to end the more than four-year war, ahead of a G7 meeting in France this week. Trump later told Russian President Vladimir Putin he was ready to help end the conflict. Ukraine has recently intensified attacks on Russian industrial and energy facilities to reduce Moscow's revenues and accelerate a peace timeline. Poland, a neighbouring NATO member, scrambled fighter jets and put ground-based air defence systems on alert as air raid sirens sounded across much of Ukraine.

Separately, Russia reported three deaths from a Ukrainian drone attack south of Moscow, though those details could not be independently confirmed.