World leaders reacted sharply to Russia’s attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on the night of June 15. They described the strike as yet another war crime and called for the aggressor to be held accountable.

French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the strike and described the Lavra as one of the most important sites of Ukrainian Orthodoxy.

“Just as in the case of the aggressive war that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years, nothing can justify this attack on our shared world heritage,” Macron said.

According to him, France is ready to cooperate with the Ukrainian authorities in restoring the site. Macron plans to raise the issue at the G7 summit in Évian.

Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni stated that Russia’s aggression against Ukraine is unacceptable. According to her, Kyiv needs steadfast support when attacks are directed even at millennium-old symbols of Christianity.

“This issue, together with efforts for peace, will be central at the G7 summit,” Meloni said.

President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen recalled that G7 leaders will meet in Évian and that increasing pressure on Russia will be among the topics discussed.

“Europe wants peace. No one wants it more than the Ukrainian people. Russia has once again demonstrated its singular commitment to violence and destruction,” she wrote.

Council of Europe Secretary General Alain Berset described the damage to the Lavra as another escalation of destruction.

“The damage inflicted on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra during Russia’s latest attack on Kyiv represents another escalation of devastation. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is one of Ukraine’s treasures and part of Europe’s shared cultural heritage,” he wrote.

Berset also added that the Council of Europe continues its work to hold Russia accountable.

“These are war crimes, and Russia will have to answer for them,” she wrote.

EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas reported that, in response to the attack, the European Union imposed additional sanctions that same day on Russia’s military-industrial complex and shadow fleet. Kallas noted that each new package of restrictions further narrows Russia’s room for maneuver.

Lithuanian President Gitanas Nausėda also condemned the Russian attack and said that nothing is sacred for Russia. Nausėda stressed that the strike demonstrated Russia’s complete disregard for human life, cultural heritage, and spiritual traditions that it itself claims as its own.

“International pressure on Russia should have been strengthened long ago in order to bring this war to an end,” the Lithuanian president emphasized.

Moldovan President Maia Sandu stated that “the Kremlin regime has once again shown that nothing is sacred to it.”

According to her, Moldova condemns attacks on civilians and religious sites and remains on Ukraine’s side.

UNESCO condemned the strike and stated that it is ready to support the authorities in assessing the damage and identifying priority measures.

“UNESCO condemns attacks on cultural property, educational institutions, students, education workers, and media organizations protected under international law,” the organization said in a statement.

Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew condemned the Russian attack and expressed comprehensive support from the Mother Church to the long-suffering Ukrainian people.

“No reasonable person and no argument can justify this barbaric and destructive attack on such a sacred pilgrimage site as the renowned Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which has a long history and tradition and is a UNESCO World Heritage monument,” the statement said.

The General Secretary of the World Council of Churches, Professor Jerry Pillay, called for an immediate end to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Russia must immediately cease its attacks and end its illegal and immoral invasion of Ukraine. We call for full legal accountability for the perpetrators of all such criminal attacks against civilians, humanitarian workers, and civilian infrastructure,” he said.

As LF previously reported, during a massive attack on Kyiv on the night of June 15, Russia carried out deliberate strikes on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. As a result of the attack, the roof of the central Dormition Cathedral caught fire.

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra holds three international statuses. Since 1990, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and since 2023 it has been included on the List of World Heritage in Danger. The site is also included in the International List of Cultural Property under Enhanced Protection. It is covered by the mechanism established by the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.