Russian forces have attacked and set ablaze Ukraine’s monastic complex Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the country’s most significant religious landmarks, in an overnight attack.
Photos of the attack showed the cathedral’s central part and the roof of the Dormition Cathedral in the Ukrainian capital on fire as rescue services rushed to douse the blaze.
Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said the damage at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was substantial and a serious fire had broken out as he accused Russia of deliberately striking “the heart of one of the largest Christian shrines”.
The overnight strikes also killed five in Kharkiv and wounded at least 20 others, as Russian attacks pounded other parts of the war-hit nation.
Earlier, Donald Trump spoke on the phone with Vladimir Putin, telling him that ending the conflict in Ukraine was vital and he is ready to help.
Kremlin foreign policy advisor Yuri Ushakov said the two leaders spoke for just under an hour yesterday, as the US president said he was ready to act with European partners and Kyiv.
He also quoted Trump as saying that a rapid resolution would allow “perspectives to open for a new quality of US-Russian relations”.
Nine killed as Ukraine faces major Russian attack
At least nine people were killed in the heaviest Russian air attack on the Ukrainian cities in two weeks, authorities said on Monday, urging residents to take shelter.
Of these, four people were killed and 23 injured in Russian strikes on Kyiv Pechersk Lavra monastery, a symbol of Ukrainian spiritual and cultural history, Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko said.
“What more must the Kremlin Antichrist do for the world to realise that decisive action must be taken so that the Russian terror against Ukraine and the very principles of peace come to an end?” Metropolitan Epifaniy, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, said on X.
In a separate attack, five emergency service rescuers were killed and at least another five injured after a second Russian strike hit Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said on Telegram, with three people, including a child, wounded in Sumy, according to social media posts by local authorities.
Britain detains sanctioned oil tanker believed to be linked to Russia’s shadow fleet
Britain is investigating a sanctioned tanker that is suspected of being part of the Russian “shadow fleet,” shipping oil in violation of international sanctions over Moscow’s war on Ukraine, prime minister Keir Starmer said.
British armed forces boarded and detained the vessel, the Smyrtos, on Sunday in the English Channel, in what the country’s defence ministry called “the first UK-led operation of its kind.”
The vessel will be held and monitored off the south coast of England for investigation, according to a statement by the defence ministry. The operation was carried out “in close coordination” with French authorities, who have previously intercepted a number of vessels linked to the “shadow fleet.”
Russia is believed to be using a fleet of hundreds of ships to evade sanctions over its war against Ukraine.
Britain detains sanctioned oil tanker believed to be linked to Russia’s shadow fleet
Britain’s armed forces boarded and detained a sanctioned tanker, the Smyrtos, in the English Channel on SundayArpan Rai15 June 2026 05:15
Trump tells Putin he is prepared to help end war in Ukraine
US president Donald Trump told his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin that ending the conflict in Ukraine was vital and he was ready to help, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yuri Ushakov said.
Trump and Putin spoke for 55 minutes, Ushakov said, adding that the US president told Putin that an agreement on ending the conflict in Iran was close.
“As regards the Ukrainian conflict, Donald Trump again emphasised that a cessation of hostilities was vital,” Ushakov told journalists in comments posted on the Kremlin website.
“He said he was ready to act with European partners and Kyiv, including in talks at the G7 summit,” he added, referring to the summit of G7 industrialised countries this week in the French resort of Evian. He also quoted Trump as saying that a rapid resolution would allow “perspectives to open for a new quality of US-Russian relations”.
Poland scrambles fighter jets in response to Russia’s missile and drone attack
Ukraine’s neighbour Poland, a European Union and Nato member, has scrambled its fighter jets and put ground-based air defence systems and radar reconnaissance on a state of readiness, Poland’s Armed Forces said in a post on X.
Most of Ukraine’s territory was under air raid warnings in the early hours of Monday and Ukrainian drones were being repelled over Russia as both countries continue to exchange strikes.
Just minutes ago, Poland’s armed forces said they have ended the operations.
“Operations of military aviation in our airspace, related to strikes by Russia on Ukraine, have been concluded,” it said on X.
Rescuers killed in Russia’s attack on Kharkiv
A large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine killed five rescuers in Kharkiv and wounded at least 20 people in the capital Kyiv as Russia continued aerial assault on its smaller neighbour.
The rescuers were killed in Kharkiv by a second Russian strike as they fought a blaze caused by an earlier attack, interior minister Ihor Klymenko said. At least five other emergency workers were wounded.
A series of powerful explosions echoed across Kyiv, with a wave of ballistic missiles followed by Shahed drones as many people sought shelter underground and officials urged residents to take cover.
“Kyiv is under the main strike. There is significant destruction of civilian infrastructure,” Klymenko said.
Twenty people, including a child, sought medical help in the capital, said Tymur Tkachenko, head of the Kyiv city military administration.
Five strikes hit civilian sites in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district in less than 30 minutes, he said, including a 25-story apartment building, while a market and a grocery store caught fire. In the Obolonskyi district, a nine-story residential building took a direct hit.
Russian attack sets fire to centuries-old religious site in Kyiv
A large-scale Russian attack on Ukraine has sparked a fire at one of the country’s most significant religious landmarks.
Damage at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a monastic complex, was substantial and a serious fire had broken out, said Kyiv military administration head Tymur Tkachenko, who accused Russia of deliberately striking “the heart of one of the largest Christian shrines.”
The roof of the Dormition Cathedral caught fire during the overnight attack, said Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
He condemned the strike as another Russian crime “against humanity, against history, against Christianity” and appealed for prayers to save the site.
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, also known as the Monastery of the Caves, is a sprawling complex of monasteries and churches, including some underground, built from the 11th to the 19th century. Some of the churches at the UNESCO-listed World Heritage site are connected by a labyrinthine complex of caves spanning more than 600 metres (2,000 feet).
The cathedral, churches and other buildings overlook the right bank of the Dnipro River and have been a pilgrimage site for centuries.
What is a Flamingo cruise missile? Ukraine uses weapon to attack Russian arms factory
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced that his military has used domestically-produced FP-5 Flamingo cruise missiles to strike targets deep within Russia.
These strikes targeted a military plant in Cheboksary, over 900km from the frontline, and an oil refinery in Russia’s Samara region.
The FP-5 Flamingo missile, which entered service in 2025, has a 3,000km range and can carry a tonne of explosives, designed for low-altitude flight to avoid detection.
Zelensky also highlighted Kyiv’s expanding drone campaign, stating it has disrupted Russian military logistics throughout the temporarily occupied territory.
Recent incidents include a large fire at Russia’s Afipsky refinery in Krasnodar following drone strikes, and explosions reported at military sites in Russian-occupied Crimea.
Maryam Zakir-Hussain15 June 2026 03:00
World chess body suspends Russia after legal challenge by Ukraine
The governing body of world chess has suspended Russia – for decades the dominant force in the game – after a successful legal challenge by Ukraine.
An international tribunal, the Court of Arbitration for Sport, in March upheld a complaint by Ukraine that Russia’s chess federation had usurped control of the game in areas of Ukraine captured by Russian forces since 2022. It gave Russia 90 days to relinquish control of chess bodies in five regions of Ukraine and stop holding tournaments there.
But on Wednesday the International Chess Federation (FIDE) – which is headed by Russia’s former deputy prime minister Arkady Dvorkovich – said Russia had not complied with the deadline and it had therefore decided to “impose the sanction of temporary suspension of (Russia’s) membership… with immediate effect”.
World chess body suspends Russia after legal challenge by Ukraine
Russia was the dominant force in the game for decadesMaryam Zakir-Hussain15 June 2026 02:00
Russia will be ready to attack Nato in three years, says German army chief
Russia will be ready to “invade a Nato partner” by 2029, a German army chief has warned.
Lieutenant General Christian Freuding said all 32 Nato members agree that Vladimir Putin could have the capability to launch a large-scale assault on allied territory before the end of the decade.
In an interview with Politico, he said “speed is of the essence” as he urged German leaders to increase investment in the country’s military.
Read more here:
Russia will be ready to attack Nato in three years, says German army chief
European defence chiefs have consistently warned that Putin is a threat to EuropeMaryam Zakir-Hussain15 June 2026 01:00
Watch: Zelensky hails Trump conversation and calls for joint push for peace
Maryam Zakir-Hussain15 June 2026 00:00NewerOlder