"To everyone who truly knows history and is not indifferent to Christianity, the either the threat of damage to or the destruction of St. Sophia is absolutely unacceptable," Zelenskyy said in the nightly addres. He continued, "But not for Russia. Kookier with Shaheds and the red button… They don't make anything and will leave nothing else behind."

An Attack on Ukraine's Cultural Dignity
Culture Minister Mykola Tochytskyi said that Russia had attacked Ukraine's sense of itself, saying, "They have again hit our very identity." Speaking earlier this year, Tochytskyi had called the cathedral "the soul of all Ukraine." Video from the scene showed broken plaster and a hole in the cornice on the cathedral's main apse.

It is the first time St. Sophia Cathedral has been damaged since the war erupted in February 2022. Vadym Kyrylenko, deputy director general of the site, said that the increased threat from low-flying Russian drones made such attacks more likely. "Some [drones]don't make it across and almost reach the crosses of the bell tower 76 meters high up," he continued.

UNESCO Concerns Confirmed
The cathedral was awarded World Heritage Site status by UNESCO in 1990 for its historic and architectural qualities as an expression of the "new Constantinople." After Russia invaded, UNESCO listed the cathedral on its List of World Heritage in Danger for fear of continued military activity.

There was no structural failure thanks to the recent attack which was another serendipity. An institute specializing in the field would examine the site and work to restore it would begin soon, officials said.