The European Evangelical Alliance has condemned a Russian missile attack on Kyiv that killed nine civilians and set fire to one of Christianity's oldest monastic sites, calling the assault an attempt to erase Ukrainian identity and memory.
The overnight strike on June 15 hit the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra — a monastery complex in continuous operation since 1051 — and damaged its Assumption Cathedral, according to the EEA's statement. The Oleksandr Dovzhenko film studio was also destroyed. The alliance said nearly 800 religious buildings across Ukraine have been destroyed or damaged since Russia's invasion began.
"Each life taken was made in the image of God," the EEA said in its statement. "Each believer among the dead was a temple of the Holy Spirit — more sacred than any building, more irreplaceable than any cathedral."
The Brussels-based alliance, which represents evangelical Christians across Europe, said the strikes were not aimed at military targets but were designed to destroy a people's identity and collective memory. The statement urged Christians worldwide to pray for Ukraine and contact their elected representatives to demand stronger international accountability measures against Russia.
The attack came two weeks after a separate missile struck near New Life Church, an evangelical congregation in Kyiv, on June 2. The missile landed approximately 20 meters from the church, which the EEA said had spent four years providing food, refugee care and front-line chaplaincy services.
Pastor Anatoly Kaluzhny described arriving at the building in the early morning darkness to find windows and doors blown out and rubble throughout the facility. The worship center and sanctuary, though significantly damaged, remained standing. "I also saw God's mercy," Kaluzhny said.
By morning, the congregation had returned to the site to pray and clear debris.
The EEA called on European churches to dedicate time in Sunday gatherings to prayer for Ukraine and to support verified humanitarian organizations working in the country. The alliance also appealed for prayer for Russian civilians, expressing hope that "the lies be broken and the hearts turn."
The statement closed with a call for "swift justice and a peace that does not betray the innocent," the EEA said.
