Russian Attack Damages Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral, Ukraine Heritage Site

St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, an 11th-century UNESCO World Heritage site and a symbol of Ukrainian statehood and spiritual heritage, was damaged during a massive Russian air and drone assault on June 10. The blast wave from the attack destroyed the cornice on the main apse of the cathedral, causing plaster to crumble and leaving visible gaps, though no critical structural damage was reported. Ukrainian officials, including Minister of Culture Mykola Tochytskyi, condemned the attack as a strike against Ukraine's identity and cultural memory. Restoration specialists are being assembled to assess and repair the damage, with preliminary estimates suggesting restoration could take around a month and a half. The cathedral has been listed as a World Heritage in Danger by UNESCO due to ongoing threats from the conflict, including close-proximity drone flights near the cathedral's bell tower. The attack was part of one of the largest assaults on Kyiv, which also damaged other cultural sites such as the Odesa Film Studio.