Foreign Ministry slams UNESCO response to Kyiv Pechersk Lavra attack as 'absurd'
Photo: Damage caused by the strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (t.me/dsns_kyiv)
Ukraine’s Foreign Ministry has criticized UNESCO over its response to the Russian strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, stated Foreign Ministry spokesperson Heorhii Tykhyi.
He stressed that in its statement, UNESCO did not specify who carried out the strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
"Absurd. The organisation tasked with protecting cultural heritage does not even know whom it protects it from. Why is it so hard to just say 'Russian strike'? Sadly, under Khaled El-Enany, UNESCO continues to show lack of leadership, weakness, and inability to fulfill its mandate," Tykhyi wrote on X.
On the night of June 15, Russian forces launched a massive combined attack on Kyiv. The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was hit — as a result of the attack, a fire broke out in the Dormition Cathedral.
Later, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) established that Russian forces deliberately targeted the area where the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the Mystetskyi Arsenal are located. The enemy used Geran-2-type drones in the attack.
In addition, residential buildings, cultural heritage sites, and civilian infrastructure were damaged. According to the latest data, 34 people were injured in the capital and five were killed.
Russia also attacked the Kyiv region. Damage to residential buildings was recorded in the region, and a child was among the injured.
The Oleksandr Dovzhenko National Film Studio was also affected by the strike. A fire destroyed the largest and oldest collection of stage costumes in Ukraine.
