A Russian aerial strike has severely damaged an Orthodox church in the Ukrainian city of Kramatorsk, with images showing extensive destruction to the building’s roof, walls and dome.
The Church of St. John the Baptist, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, was damaged during Russian shelling on September 22, according to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s press service.
Photographs released after the attack show debris scattered across the church grounds, while sections of the building’s metal framework appear twisted by the force of the blast.
The roof and dome have also sustained significant damage.
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church reported the destruction following the strike, while Ukraine’s State Emergency Service said Russian forces dropped an aerial bomb on residential areas of Kramatorsk on the evening of September 22.
According to the emergency service, the attack damaged 10 apartment buildings, the church and a car.
It was not immediately clear whether anyone was killed or injured in the vicinity of the church.
Kramatorsk repeatedly targeted
The latest strike came only days after another Russian air attack on Kramatorsk.
On September 20, an airstrike caused a fire covering approximately 4,800 square metres at a two storey educational facility. Two people were reported injured.
Earlier attacks involving guided aerial bombs also killed a woman and injured a man in the city.
Kramatorsk, in Donetsk Oblast, has remained a frequent target during Russia’s full scale invasion of Ukraine.
The damage to the Church of St. John the Baptist adds another religious site to the growing list of Ukrainian churches and historic places of worship damaged or destroyed during the war.
Source: NV English, Ukrainian Orthodox Church and Ukraine’s State Emergency Service
