Key facts
- Russia launched widespread strikes across Ukraine on June 15.
- Russia's strikes damaged Kyiv's historic Dormition Cathedral.
- At least nine people were killed in Russia's strikes across Ukraine.
- A Russian double-tap missile strike in Kharkiv killed four rescuers and injured six.
- A Ukrainian drone attack in Russia's Tula region killed three people, including a child.
- Ukraine damaged two bridges linking Kherson to Crimea in a drone attack.
- Traffic was suspended on the damaged bridges connecting Kherson to Crimea.
- A Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Siberia's Irkutsk region.
- The crew of the crashed Russian bomber ejected safely.
- Russia denied responsibility for damaging the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery.
Russia launched large-scale drone and missile attacks across Ukraine on June 15, resulting in widespread damage and casualties. In Kyiv, the historic Dormition Cathedral within the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra sustained significant damage from ballistic missiles and drones, with at least 20 people injured and a fire breaking out at the site. Ukrainian officials condemned the strikes as war crimes, with President Zelenskyy calling the attack one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture and renewing calls for increased Western air defense support.
Beyond Kyiv, the attacks had further deadly consequences. In Kharkiv, a Russian double-tap missile strike killed four rescuers and injured six others when missiles landed approximately 30 meters from the emergency responders. In Tula, Russia, a Ukrainian drone attack killed three people, including a child.
Ukraine also conducted its own strikes, damaging two bridges connecting the Russian-held Kherson region with Crimea in an overnight drone attack. Traffic on these routes has been suspended. This action aligns with a pattern of Ukrainian strikes targeting supply lines to the annexed peninsula.
In a separate incident, a Russian Tu-22M3 strategic bomber crashed in Siberia's Irkutsk region on Monday during a training flight. The crew ejected safely, and the aircraft was not carrying a combat load, resulting in no ground damage. Russia has denied responsibility for damaging the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, claiming a US-made Patriot missile was responsible, not its forces.