St. Nicholas Cathedral in Ukraine Destroyed in Airstrike

St. Nicholas Monastic Compound of the UOC in the Village of Myropillya. Photo: Sumy Diocese

MYROPILLYA — A Russian airstrike has destroyed the St. Nicholas Cathedral, a key Orthodox spiritual center in Ukraine’s Sumy region, according to a July 9 statement from the Sumy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC).

The cathedral’s central structure suffered a direct hit from what are believed to be guided aerial bombs or missiles, causing the collapse of the dome, central tower, ceilings, and roof. The church’s architectural integrity was lost, with walls deformed and the interior heavily damaged.

Also destroyed was a chapel dedicated to the icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow,” located in the monastic quarters.

“The St. Nicholas Church was the main adornment of the monastic courtyard, a spiritual center for the Orthodox believers throughout the region,” the diocese noted, highlighting its classical architecture and longstanding role as a place of prayer and hope.

The same compound had sustained damage in earlier shelling on May 1.

The night of July 8, Russia fired more than 700 attack and decoy drones at Ukraine, which, according to the Associated Press, was the largest number fired in a single night to this point in the war. Overall, the attack included 728 drones and 13 missiles, which were aimed at Ukrainian air bases in a move that Ukrainian President Volodomyr Zelensky estimated as the Kremlin “making a point.”

The city of Lutsk, which is home to Ukrainian airfields and part of a region that is crucial for receiving foreign military aid, was the hardest hit, Zelensky said. This comes after U.S. President Donald Trump had pledged resuming the sending of weapons to Ukraine after a previous pause on deliveries.

Ukrainian drone strikes that same night killed three people in the Kursk border region, including a 5-year-old boy, according to reporting from the AP.

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