Ukraine's 1,000-year-old monastery undergoing repair after alleged Russian attack

Workers began repairs to the roof of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a UNESCO World Heritage site on Tuesday (June 16), after it was allegedly damaged in a major attack by Russia.

The blaze caused extensive damage to the roof of the Dormition Cathedral, the main church at the monastery site, but its structure and walls remained standing, and much of the interior appeared intact.

The damage to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, founded in 1051, drew international condemnation. France's foreign minister said the attack was akin to bombing Notre Dame cathedral in Paris.

Russia denied striking the monastery, calling the allegations "a crude fake", and said instead it had been damaged by a U.S.-made Patriot air defense missile, which Ukraine uses to protect its cities.

However, Ukraine's SBU security service said it had recovered fragments of a Geran-2 drone, a Russian kamikaze drone, at the attack site and posted images of the debris. Reuters could not verify the information independently.

-Thomas Peter, Andrii Pryimachenko/Reuters