The Head of the President's Office threatened Russia with retaliatory measures for the strike on the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Ukrainian authorities claim that the Russian strike on the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was a “deliberate crime against Ukrainian cultural heritage and a Christian shrine. “ Kirill Budanov, head of the Office of the President of Ukraine, called the attack further proof of the genocidal nature of Russia’s war against Ukraine and warned that Ukraine would take retaliatory measures.

The statement was published on the head of the Presidential Office’s official Telegram page. It emphasizes that footage of the ancient Christian shrine engulfed in flames “testifies to Russia’s desire to destroy Ukrainian identity, historical memory, and cultural heritage.”

It was also noted that the Assumption Cathedral had already suffered destruction during World War II, and that independent Ukraine subsequently restored the shrine. The statement called the attack on the Lavra “a crime against the Christian faith and all of global Orthodoxy, ” and described Russia’s actions as a continuation of its “scorched earth” tactics .

“We will rebuild everything and make the aggressor pay for itscrimes,” the politician concluded.