Putin had two objectives: ISW explained why Russia attacked the Lavra
This was stated in a report by the Institute for the Study of War (ISW).
Analysts believe that Russian dictator Vladimir Putin is using large-scale combined attacks to put pressure on the civilian population of Ukraine.
According to the ISW, such strikes are intended to demonstrate Russia’s strength whilst instilling fear among Ukrainians.
“Putin is deploying large-scale strike packages against Kyiv in an attempt to break Ukraine’s will to fight, as well as to conceal his own weakness, particularly his inability to protect Russian territory, including the Russian capital, from deep strikes by Ukraine,” the report states.
Russia has concocted a new version of the strike on the Lavra and blamed Ukraine
The Russian information space is also attempting to shift the blame – either by accusing Ukraine or by justifying the strikes as a military necessity.
In particular, the Russian Ministry of Defence claimed that "confirmed reports" indicate that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was struck by a Ukrainian Patriot interceptor missile.
Ukrainian officials were quick to refute these accusations. Yuriy Ignat, a spokesperson for the Ukrainian Air Force, explained that the debris from an anti-aircraft missile on the ground could indeed have appeared as a result of air defence operations, which likely intercepted an enemy Zircon hypersonic missile.
The Centre for Countering Disinformation at the National Security and Defence Council confirmed that Russia had launched a coordinated attack in the information sphere.
The enemy is attempting to impose two opposing narratives on the world: either the Ukrainian army is destroying its own historical sites, or these monuments are legitimate military targets for the Russian army.
The attack on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra: what is known
As a reminder, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was damaged as a result of the Russian attack on Kyiv on 15 June.
A fire broke out on the roof of the Assumption Cathedral on the monastery grounds after a strike hit the St Stephen’s Chapel. The fire was extinguished, but the cathedral sustained damage, including to the iconostasis, murals and frescoes.
Following the strike, ancient icons, antiminsia and other liturgical objects that could have been at risk due to the shelling were urgently evacuated from the Lavra. The complex has been temporarily closed to visitors.
Metropolitan Epifaniy described the Russian army’s attack as yet another crime against humanity and Christianity.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy stated that the Russian occupiers had deliberately targeted the part of Kyiv where the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the “Mystetskyi Arsenal” are located.
Subsequently, the SBU identified the type of drones Russia used to strike the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has released its version of the massive strike on Ukraine.
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