Russian strike set fire to the Pechersk Lavra, killed five rescue workers in Kharkiv. Putin had called Trump about ending the war just hours earlier

Overnight into Monday, Russia showered Kyiv with a wave of ballistic missiles and hundreds of drones. The roof of the Dormition Cathedral was on fire — the main church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of the holiest Orthodox shrines and a UNESCO World Heritage site; clergy hurried to evacuate icons and relics overnight. Four people died in the capital and more than twenty were injured, and about 140,000 customers were left without electricity. In Kharkiv, a second, repeated strike killed five rescue workers who were putting out a fire caused by the first strike. All of this came just hours after Russian President Vladimir Putin, in a 55-minute "friendly" phone call, congratulated Donald Trump on his eightieth birthday and the two also discussed ending the war. Kyiv Independent ↗

A burning shrine at the heart of Orthodoxy

Flames engulfed the roof of the Dormition Cathedral — the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos — the central basilica of the Lavra complex overlooking the Dnipro. Overnight, clergy carried historic icons, antimensia and other valuables out of the shrine to protect them from the fire. CNN ↗

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is the "Monastery of the Caves," founded in the 11th century — a labyrinth of churches and underground passages more than 600 meters long, housing some of the most venerated Orthodox relics. It is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage site. Washington Times / AP ↗

The strike also carries a symbolic dimension. Until 2023, the Dormition Cathedral was leased by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church subordinate to the Moscow Patriarchate; the state terminated the lease, returned the church to its own control, and authorized services there by the independent Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). That church is now led by Metropolitan Epifaniy, head of the Ukrainian church. Russia, which for years has claimed it is "defending canonical Orthodoxy" in Ukraine, thus struck a shrine where the state has now authorized services by the Ukrainian church. UNN ↗

Epifaniy condemned the strike and called for prayers as well as an international response: "We ask for prayers for the salvation of the shrine from destruction. Another Russian crime against humanity." According to CNN, this is the second time the Lavra complex has been hit during the war. Mezha ↗

Footage of the fire on the roof of the Dormition Cathedral was captured by AFP (June 15):

Kharkiv: a deadly second strike on firefighters

The heaviest toll was paid in Kharkiv. Five rescue workers died there in a repeated Russian strike while they were putting out a fire caused by the first strike, said Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko. At least five more emergency personnel were injured. UNN ↗

A drone also struck the Kharkiv Art Museum, where the fire spread across more than 1,200 square meters. The institution holds 25,000 works, including Ukraine's largest collection of Ilya Repin — among them the painting Reply of the Zaporozhian Cossacks — and works by Taras Shevchenko. Five women and a one-month-old baby girl were injured in the attack. Kyiv Independent ↗

Repeated strikes targeting rescuers who arrive at the scene of an initial strike are known as a "double-tap" — a pattern that Ukrainian officials and humanitarian organizations have long described as deliberate and in violation of international humanitarian law.

Scale: ballistics, Shaheds and blackout

According to preliminary morning figures from the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched approximately five hundred Shahed-type drones and more than fifty missiles, including hypersonic ones; later tallies raised these numbers further — some media reported more than 600 drones and around 70 missiles. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said more than fifty locations across the city were hit. Residential buildings burned in eight districts, and approximately 140,000 customers were left without electricity. Kyiv Independent ↗

Wider footage of the aftermath of the overnight strike on Kyiv was released by the Associated Press (June 15):

A call about peace, missiles after midnight

The attack came in sharp contrast to the diplomatic backdrop. Just on Sunday evening, Putin was the first foreign leader to call Trump to congratulate him on his 80th birthday. The conversation lasted 55 minutes, was described by the Kremlin as "friendly," and, besides Iran, revolved around Ukraine. According to the Kremlin's account of the call, Trump again called for an end to the fighting and said he was willing to press both Kyiv and its European allies; according to the Kremlin, the two sides agreed that American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner would soon travel to Russia again. The White House did not separately comment on the contents of the call. CNN ↗

A few hours later came one of the most powerful strikes on Kyiv in recent months. For critics of Moscow, it is a familiar pattern — signals of negotiations at the table, escalation on the ground. The attack also came during the days when the G7 summit is being held by Lake Geneva, and as Trump signals an imminent deal between the US and Iran. Ukrayinska Pravda ↗

Also read: What Europe is writing about: Iran and the US to sign a deal on Friday, Russian strike sets fire to the Pechersk Lavra

What hotinfo is following

• The extent of the damage to the Lavra — whether the fire also reached the cave complex and relics, and how UNESCO will assess the situation.
• The final Air Force tally (number of missiles, drones, and interceptions) compared with the preliminary morning figures.
• Whether the deaths of the five Kharkiv rescue workers in the repeated strike will become the subject of war crimes documentation.
• Whether the attack will affect Trump's announced "pressure on Kyiv" and the planned trip by Witkoff and Kushner to Russia.
• The pace of Kyiv's power grid recovery, and whether massive strikes on the capital will once again become a regular occurrence.