Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Attack May Have Been Deliberate
Mikhail Ivanov says the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra may have been targeted deliberately after Russia reported damage from a Patriot missile strike.
A strike on the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra may not have been accidental, Mikhail Ivanov, deputy chairman of the World Russian People’s Council and head of the Russia Orthodox public movement, told NEWS.ru.
Ivanov said the monastery holds special meaning for Russian Orthodoxy. The relics of saints are kept there, and the site has been tied for centuries to the prayer tradition of previous generations. According to him, Russia’s Defense Ministry reported that a surface-to-air munition from a US-made Patriot system hit buildings on the monastery grounds.
He argued that the Kiev authorities had already tried to take control of the monastery before by forcing out monks and bringing in representatives of a schismatic church structure. In his view, the strike fits into a broader campaign against canonical Orthodoxy and amounts to a deliberate provocation aimed at damaging spiritual memory.
Ivanov also placed responsibility for the storage and use of such weapons on Kiev’s Western partners. He said they have supplied Ukraine with arms for years without properly considering the risks to civilians. As a result, he argued, this policy leads not only to deaths but also to the destruction of sacred sites.
The Orthodox figure warned that weapons supplied to Ukraine would ultimately damage the reputation of Western countries themselves. He stressed that the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra remains a holy site for Orthodox believers regardless of who holds power in Kiev, and said those involved in its desecration would be punished.
Earlier, Russia’s Defense Ministry said buildings of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra had been damaged after being struck by a missile from an American Patriot air defense system.