Russia damaged the UNESCO-listed St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv amid one of Russia’s largest aerial assaults

KYIV – In one of the largest aerial assaults since Russia’s all-out war started, Ukrainian officials say Kremlin forces launched over 300 drones and missiles overnight on June 10, targeting cities across the country. 

The terror attack killed at least three civilians, injured more than a dozen, and caused extensive destruction in Kyiv, Odesa, Dnipropetrovsk, and Chernihiv regions. 

Among the most grievous blows was damage to Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO World Heritage site and a millennium-old symbol of Ukrainian statehood and Orthodox Christianity. 

“Last night, the enemy once again struck at the very heart of our identity,” said Mykola Tochytskyi, Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications. “St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, a sanctuary that has survived centuries and symbolizes the birth of our statehood, was damaged. The blast wave caused destruction to the cornice of the main apse of this national monument. This 11th-century church is the soul of all Ukraine.”

The blast wave cracked the cornice of the cathedral’s main apse, a scar on one of eastern European’s most revered cultural monuments. 

During the aerial assault, Ukrainian air defenses successfully neutralized 284 of the enemy’s aerial assault weapons.

“The aerial attack was repelled by aviation, anti-aircraft missile troops, electronic warfare and unmanned systems units, and mobile fire groups of Ukraine’s Defense Forces,” the Air Force reported.

They added that Russian strikes were recorded in 11 locations, with debris falling in 16 locations.

Kyiv

A Russian attack on Kyiv tragically killed one woman and injured six others, city authorities reported.

“Two injured individuals are currently hospitalized, while four others received outpatient care,” said Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko.

The capital also saw widespread damage, with residential buildings, a business center, warehouses, and a railway impacted. Cars were destroyed, and approximately ten fires erupted as explosions rocked the city for several hours.

Additionally, a building near the European Union’s representation in Ukraine was damaged in the city.

Odesa

A Russian drone attack on Odesa killed two people and wounded nine others, the Odesa Oblast Prosecutor’s Office reported.

“According to the investigation, in the early hours of June 10, the armed forces of the Russian Federation attacked Odesa with attack drones. It has been preliminarily established that the enemy used over 10 UAVs,” the statement read.

Occupiers deliberately struck a maternity hospital. 

Odesa Mayor Hennadii Trukhanov said, “Fortunately, there are no casualties or injuries. But the very fact that an institution where life is born came under attack is shocking in its cruelty.”

“Residential buildings, the maternity hospital building, an emergency medical aid station, a private medical clinic, a sports complex, the zoo, the railway station building, and citizens’ cars were damaged,” the prosecutor’s office said.

The legendary Odesa Film Studio also came under attack, with damage reported to its pavilions, warehouses, sets, and vehicles. 

Andrii Osipov, head of Ukraine’s State Film Agency and former director of the Odesa Film Studio, told Suspilne that the sets for the film “Dovzhenko,” a national project about Ukrainian director Oleksandr Dovzhenko, were completely destroyed.

Russia attacks Ukrainian cities and villages daily. The Ukrainian World Congress publishes news on the largest shelling incidents. More detailed information on the consequences of Russia’s aggression in Ukraine, read the Victory Chronicles.