On March 12, at about 11:05 p.m. an airstrike damaged Ukraine’s historic Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra, an Orthodox monastery in Sviatohirsk, Donetsk region.
Volodymyr Rybalkin, the head of the separate subdivision of the All-Ukrainian NGO «Stop Corruption» in Sviatohirsk, informed :
«Russian aviation has hit the Sviatohirsk Lavra. They damaged the women’s dormitory. Now, we try to get the victims out of the rubble.»
The blast hit 50 meters away from a bridge connecting the right and left banks of the Siverskyi Donets River, near an entrance to the monastery.
The explosion damaged the monastery’s temple windows and smashed windows and doors of a nearby hotel.
Several people were wounded and taken to a hospital in the eastern town of Sviatohirsk, while others were treated on site. Fortunately, no one was killed.
At night, March 13, all the refugees and clergymen were evacuated to the monastery basement.
Some 520 refugees were seeking shelter in the monastery, including 200 children. There are around 10,000 refugees and locals in Sviatohirsk town, the statement said.
The Head of the Monastery said there are no military units in Sviatohirsk.
The Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra of the UOC-MP is a monastery of the UOC-MP in Sviatohirsk. The monastery is located on the right bank of the Siversky Donets. In addition to the buildings on the ground, it has chalky caves. Previously, The Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra was a monastery. It dates back to as early as the year 1526 and houses relics of St. John the Hermit of Sviatohirsk.
