The UOC commented on the strike on the Dormition Cathedral
The UOC emphasized that the military aggression has crossed all moral boundaries and called on Christians to intensify their prayers for peace.
On June 15, 2026, the head of the Information and Education Department of the UOC, Metropolitan Klyment of Nizhyn and Pryluky (Vecheria), issued an official comment regarding the nighttime attack on the Lavra. This was reported by the UOC Information Center.
“The Ukrainian Orthodox Church strongly condemns Russia’s military aggression against Ukraine, which has resulted in the deaths of thousands of people and the destruction of holy sites,” the hierarch stated. “God does not bless wars. He Himself offered Himself as a sacrifice for humanity in order to grant it eternal life.”
The hierarch recalled that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is above all “a place of prayer, a center of God’s special presence in the world.” The monks of the monastery spent a long time restoring it from oblivion after the destruction of the Soviet period. The bishop emphasized: “It was not just a building that came under fire, but a holy shrine.”
“The wounds suffered by the Dormition Cathedral tonight are a reflection of the deep tragedy of the entire Ukrainian people,” Metropolitan Klyment stated. “The people are likewise wounded by the war, which long ago crossed every possible moral boundary. However, we believe that what has been destroyed will be rebuilt once again, and that our people, with God’s help, will endure these trials as well.”
The tragedy at the Lavra urges all Christians to pray more fervently for the “immediate end to the madness of war.” The bishop added that there is “no justification whatsoever” for this bloodshed.
As SPZh reported, the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra caught fire as a result of the Russian attack.
