Russian Geran-2 Drone Debris Found at Kyiv Monastery After Moscow Blamed Patriot Missile

Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) said on June 15 that a Russian Geran-2 attack drone struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra during Russia’s overnight mass missile and drone attack on Ukraine, rejecting Russian claims that the damage was caused by a Ukrainian Patriot air defense missile.

According to the SBU statement, investigators identified the weapon after examining debris recovered at the site of the strike. The attack hit the St. Stephen’s chapel of the Dormition Cathedral complex at approximately 1:50 a.m. local time.

The SBU said specialists found fragments of the drone’s fuselage and engine at the impact site. Investigators also identified markings indicating that some components were manufactured in Russia’s Alabuga special economic zone, which has become a major production center for Geran-series drones.

“During the inspection of the enemy drone debris, it was established that some of its components were manufactured on the territory of the Russian Federation in the Alabuga special economic zone,” the SBU said.

According to the agency, the strike damaged roofing structures, domes, walls, and windows of the Dormition Cathedral. No casualties were reported at the monastery complex, although nearby civilian buildings in Kyiv’s Pechersk district were also affected by the blast wave.

The SBU said it has opened a criminal investigation under Article 438 of Ukraine’s Criminal Code, which covers violations of the laws and customs of war.

Russia’s Defense Ministry claimed the Lavra was damaged by a Patriot air defense missile and suggested that Western-supplied missiles with expired service lives could have malfunctioned. The ministry also reiterated its assertion that the overnight attack targeted Ukrainian defense-industrial facilities rather than civilian sites.

Ukraine’s Air Force rejected those claims. Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat said photographs circulating online showed fragments of Patriot interceptor missiles that had been used during the defense against the attack. He warned that such images were being used by Russian sources to promote false narratives.

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War in Ukraine

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“Here is an example… of how the enemy uses any Ukrainian content to promote its own narratives and propaganda: another lie that we shelled ourselves,” Ihnat said.

According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 611 drones and 70 missiles during the overnight attack, with Kyiv as the primary target. Ukrainian air defenses reportedly intercepted 632 aerial targets, including 50 missiles and 582 drones. The military also reported impacts from 20 ballistic missiles and 27 attack drones at multiple locations across the country.

The strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Ukraine’s most significant religious and historical landmarks, occurred amid one of the largest Russian aerial attacks of the year. Ukrainian officials reported damage to several cultural sites in Kyiv, including the Mystetskyi Arsenal cultural complex and the Dovzhenko Film Studio.

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