Russia claims Kyiv Cave Monastery may have been hit by expired U.S.-made "Patriot" missiles
On the 15th local time, a church building at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in the Ukrainian capital caught fire. Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that the damage to the monastery was caused by the Russian military's attack on Kyiv that day, and the emergency services have now extinguished the fire on the roof of the attacked church.
On the 15th, the Russian Ministry of Defense stated that the Russian military would not plan or carry out attacks on civilian infrastructure. Reports indicate that the missiles that attacked the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra were launched by the U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile system. One possible reason for the malfunction of this air defense system could be that Western countries provided Ukraine with expired missiles.
According to the United Nations website, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1990. Due to the potential for damage during the Russia-Ukraine conflict, the World Heritage Committee decided in 2023 to include the monastery on the List of World Heritage in Danger. (Reporter: Wang Bin, Dong Wei)
On the 15th, a church at the Kyiv Cave Monastery caught fire due to an attack by Russian forces. Ukrainian President Zelensky stated that the damage was caused by missiles from a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system. The incident raises concerns about the effectiveness of the air defense system, potentially linked to expired missiles supplied by Western nations.
- A church at the Kyiv Cave Monastery caught fire on the 15th due to an attack by Russian forces.
- Ukrainian President Zelensky attributed the damage to the Russian military's actions.
- The attack involved missiles launched from a U.S.-made Patriot air defense system.
- The failure of the air defense system may be due to expired missiles provided by Western countries.
- The Kyiv Cave Monastery was listed as a World Heritage site in 1990 and is now on the endangered list due to potential damage from the conflict.