Ukraine says Russian Geran‑2 drone hit Kyiv’s historic Lavra

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) announced that fragments of a Russian‑made Geran‑2 drone were recovered at the Kyiv‑Pechersk Lavra after a night‑time strike on 15 June. The wreckage, including engine parts and a fuselage piece marked as produced in the Alabuga zone of Tatarstan, was presented as evidence that a Russian drone caused the fire that damaged the 11th‑century St. Dormition Cathedral and its roof.

Russia’s Defence Ministry denied any drone attack, attributing the blaze to a U.S.‑supplied Patriot anti‑air missile that missed its target, and called Ukrainian claims “a primitive fabrication.” French President Emmanuel Macron condemned the attack on the UNESCO‑listed site and urged G7 partners to increase pressure on Moscow. The incident formed part of a broader wave of Russian missile and drone assaults that killed five rescuers in Kharkiv and injured at least 20 people in Kyiv.

No casualties were reported inside the Lavra itself, and emergency crews extinguished the fire on the cathedral’s roof.