At least nine people were killed throughout Ukraine following Russian air strikes — including on a UNESCO-protected monastery — hours after US President Donald Trump spoke by phone to Kremlin leader Vladimir Putin and told him he wanted to help end the war.
Ukrainian Interior Minister Ihor Klymenko said Russian strikes killed five rescue workers and wounded at least five others in the Kharkiv, Ukraine’s second-largest city, located in the northeast of the country.
“In Kharkiv, five State Emergency Service rescuers were killed as they were fighting fires as a result of repeated Russian strikes. At least 5 more were wounded,” Klymenko wrote on Telegram.
Authorities also said that six people, including an infant, were injured in a fire at the Kharkiv Art Museum as the result of a Russian air strike.
“A localized fire in the building of an art museum with an area of 1,200 square meters. Work is under way to finally put it out,” Ukraine’s emergency service authorities said.
‘Brutal Assault’ On Heritage Site
In the capital, Kyiv, Mayor Vitali Klitschko said a “massive” overnight attack caused damage and fires in nearly all districts of the city. Authorities said four people were killed at least 25 others were injured, including children.
Among the buildings struck was the main cathedral at the historic Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), a UNESCO world heritage site, where firefighters were still battling blazes early on June 15. At least 13 people were injured.
“A brutal assault on our people and our heritage. This is the true face of Russia’s Orthodox values,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko wrote on X.
More than a dozen fire engines were near the monastery grounds in the morning hours, with firefighters working to extinguish the blaze from the inside and from outside platforms, an AFP journalist at the scene reported.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha condemned the Russian strike on Ukraine’s most important Orthodox monastery, describing it as “state barbarism.”
State Emergency Service also reported that a fire broke out at the Mystetskiy Arsenal National Art and Cultural Museum Complex in Kyiv, Ukraine’s flagship cultural institution, affecting an area of approximately 1,000 square meters following the strike.
Ukraine Hits Back
Meanwhile, Kyiv has continued its recently intensified attacks on Russian industrial and energy infrastructure sites as it attempts to interrupt the Kremlin’s flow of funds used to fuel its war against Ukraine.
Regional Governor Dmitry Milyayev said in a Telegram post that three people were killed and three others were injured in a Ukrainian drone attack on the Russian city of Tula, some 200 kilometers south of Moscow.
It wasn’t immediately clear what sites had been hit, but the Tula region is home to several major industrial facilities and has been a frequent Ukrainian target following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
Also early on June 15, Kremlin-installed authorities in Russian-occupied areas in the Ukrainian region of Kherson said Ukrainian attacks had damaged two bridges and that traffic had been suspended.
Details were scarce and the reports could not be independently verified.
Trump Speaks Separately With Putin, Zelenskyy
The violence came as Trump told Putin in a call on June 14 that ending the conflict in Ukraine was vital and that he was prepared to help bring about peace, Kremlin foreign policy adviser Yury Ushakov said.
“As regards the Ukrainian conflict, Donald Trump again emphasized that a cessation of hostilities was vital,” Ushakov told reporters in relaying details of the 55-minute call.
Trump also spoke with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who said the two discussed efforts to achieve an end to the war ahead of a summit of Group of 7 (G7) countries in France beginning on June 15.
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that he had wished Trump a happy 80th birthday and thanked him for the assistance provided by Washington throughout the conflict.
“I wished President Trump every success, first and foremost in his efforts to end Russia’s war against Ukraine,” Zelenskyy said.
