Published on 6/15/2026
Russian forces launched missile and drone raids targeting seven Ukrainian provinces, resulting in the death of 13 citizens and wounding dozens, and the strikes focused on the capital, Kiev.
This field move coincided with political contacts between Russian President Vladimir Putin and US President Donald Trump, during which they discussed the possibility of reviving the negotiating process.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky inspected the main church of the historic “Kiev Monastery” complex (Pecherska Lavra Cathedral), which dates back to the eleventh century AD, and which was damaged by the bombing.
Zelensky called on the G7 leaders to take a decisive response during their summit held in France to confront Russian targeting of infrastructure and residential areas.
On the other hand, the Russian Ministry of Defense reported that its forces carried out strikes targeting the military infrastructure in Ukraine, affecting 16 facilities, including four airports and factories dedicated to the production of Ukrainian drones and “Flamingo” missiles.
Moscow denied directly targeting the historic church, claiming that the damage to the Lavra Cathedral resulted from the fall of a Ukrainian Patriot air defense missile during an attempt to confront the raids.
Field assessment of the extent of losses in Kyiv
In the details of the field work, Al Jazeera’s correspondent in Kiev, Omar Al-Hajj, pointed out that the capital was subjected to strikes in which Russian forces used approximately 223 drones and 70 missiles, including 60 ballistic missiles directed at Kiev, where air defenses intercepted a number of them and fragments and projectiles fell on residential buildings a few kilometers away from Independence Square and the presidential complex.
Al-Hajj conveyed information indicating the death of five residents in the capital as a result of the fall of these shrapnel, while four firefighting personnel were killed in Kharkiv Province as a result of direct targeting by Russian aircraft while performing their duty.
On the service level, Al Jazeera’s correspondent explained that the strikes that affected power production plants led to a complete power outage for 140,000 residents of Kiev Province, at a time when the authorities are making diligent efforts to repair the damage and restore basic services to those affected.
Anticipated movements
On the Moscow front, Al Jazeera’s Moscow office director, Saur Schug, addressed the political and ideological dimensions of the situation, explaining that these strikes came weeks after Moscow issued warnings to Western embassies that it would respond to the Ukrainian attacks with marches inside the Russian interior.
Shog pointed out that the military timing of the operation is linked to a political path that crystallized hours after a phone call took place between Russian President Vladimir Putin and American Donald Trump to discuss the settlement file.
In this context, the Russian capital is awaiting in the next few days a visit by US Presidential envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, with the aim of advancing political settlement efforts based on the outcomes of the Anchorage Agreement.
Regarding the crisis of the damaged church, the director of Al Jazeera’s office in Moscow pointed to the symbolic background of the Russian position, as the Ministry of Defense is keen to deny targeting the cathedral due to its major religious and historical symbolism for Moscow since the eleventh century. Therefore, the Russian narrative was quick to hold the Ukrainian “Patriot” defenses responsible for the destruction in order to avoid any cultural or religious apostasy within Russian society.
