15th June
So overnight Putin targeted 5 highly significant cultural sights in Ukraine. Losses, while still not as valuable as a human life, that are irreplaceable.
One target was the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, one of the most significant sites in Eastern Orthodox Christianity and a designated UNESCO World Heritage site. The attack has severely damaged the roof of the monastery’s 11th-century Dormition Cathedral.
The Kremlin, as usual, is denying this, blaming Ukraine’s air defence, but the coincidence of the other significant sites being hit on the same night really shows that claim to be likely what it is.
From ShalinMap (on telegram):
“On one day, Russian terrorists attacked:
💬 the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra — an 11th-century Orthodox monastery complex, one of the holiest sites in Eastern Christianity and a UNESCO World Heritage Site; its destruction would be equivalent to bombing the Vatican
💬 the Dovzhenko National Film Studio — the birthplace of Ukrainian cinema and home to over a century of irreplaceable film archives and heritage listed costumes, the cultural equivalent of Hollywood and the Library of Congress combined
💬 the National Art Museum “Mystetskyi Arsenal” — Ukraine’s largest exhibition space, housing priceless national collections and serving as the beating heart of contemporary Ukrainian cultural life
💬 the “Nova Poshta” Innovation Terminal — a modern logistics hub representing Ukraine’s economic resilience and its drive toward a self-sufficient, European-integrated future
💬 the building of the High Anti-Corruption Court (HACC) — the institution Ukraine built specifically to meet EU membership requirements; an attack on the rule of law itself
💬 educational institutions, including the Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv — founded in 1834, Ukraine’s most prestigious university, named for the poet who is the soul of Ukrainian national identity
💬 the Organ and Chamber Music Hall in Dnipro — a beloved cultural anchor for an industrial city that has become a frontline of both war and Ukrainian resilience
💬 the Children’s and Youth Creativity Center in Sumy — a place where the next generation of artists, musicians, and thinkers were shaped; children were the target
💬 the Zoo in Kharkiv — home to hundreds of animals and a cherished sanctuary for families in Ukraine’s second-largest city, which has been under near-constant bombardment
💬 energy infrastructure — power, heat, and water systems deliberately targeted to make survival itself impossible through the coming winter
💬 residential areas and buildings — people’s homes, their memories, their ordinary lives — the most intimate form of terror
💬 and other objects — because the list is too long to fully name “
This was not a military operation. This was a deliberate assault on everything that makes Ukraine Ukraine.
This targeting of Ukrainian culture by Russia is not new, it has a history, search the holodomor. There have been systematic efforts to erase Ukrainian culture in the Russian occupied areas of Ukraine since the beginning of Putin’s invasion in 2014.
Quote in Ground News.
“The devastating escalation came immediately after a 55-minute phone call between U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sunday, during which Trump emphasized the vital importance of halting”
And of course many civilians were killed and injured in all these strikes. And the ‘double-tap’ strategy continues with russia regularly sending a second attack just as rescuers arrive at the scene.
🔴Kharkiv. Rescue workers were extinguishing a fire from a previous attack when Russia struck them. Five State Emergency Service employees were killed, and at least five more were injured.
Stand with Ukraine!
Another great article HERE.
