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SBU shows wreckage of Russian drone that attacked Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Russians tried to blame Ukrainian air defense for strike

Author:
Olha Bereziuk
Date:

After the massive attack on the night of June 15, Russian propaganda began to massively promote the narrative that a Ukrainian air defense missile was the cause of the fire in the Assumption Cathedral on the territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. However, SBU denied this information and showed the wreckage of the Russian drone that hit the building.

Several dozen anonymous Telegram channels and public propagandists wrote that the fire on the roof of the Assumption Cathedral was allegedly caused by a Ukrainian missile.

One of those who tried to shift the blame to Ukraine was former MP from the “Party of Regions” Oleh Tsarev, who fled Ukraine since the beginning of the war in 2014 and regularly promotes Russian propaganda. Accusations were also made by former MP Ihor Mosiychuk, against whom Ukraine imposed sanctions last year.

What did SBU find at the scene of the attack?

SBU specialists inspected the attack site and discovered fragments of the hull and engine of a “Geran-2” kamikaze-drone, which is a Russian version of the Iranian “Shahed” kamikaze-drone.

Analysis of the wreckage confirmed that some of its components were manufactured on the territory of the Russian Federation in the Alabuga special economic zone. This is evidenced by the corresponding markings found on the fragments of the Russian drone.

It was the arrival of this drone that damaged the roof, domes, walls, and glazing of the Assumption Cathedral. The blast wave also damaged neighboring civilian infrastructure buildings in the Pechersky district of Kyiv.

Security Service investigators have classified this attack as a war crime and have already initiated criminal proceedings under Part 1 of Article 438 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine.

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