The target of the attack was the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex – one of the holiest places in Christianity and a spiritual center with a centuries-old tradition. The Arsenal exhibition center and one of the capital's main postal hubs were also hit, cutting an important artery of everyday civilian life.
This morning, after a sleepless night filled with constant explosions, Ukrainians emerged from their shelters and saw images of destroyed temple domes, burning civilian buildings and shards of glass glistening in pools of blood.
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is not a military base, but a monastery. The Arsenal is not a weapons depot, but a place of culture. A postal hub is not a command center.
These are not military facilities. These are material symbols of Ukrainian identity and civil life — and that is why Putin's forces are destroying them with such methodical cruelty.
Russia is trying to erase Ukraine from existence, to make the very concept of “Ukrainian” disappear from the face of the earth.
This is the true face of the Russian soul revealed. Not the one the West likes to associate with Tolstoy or Tchaikovsky, but the dark, brutal side that has fueled Russian imperialism for centuries – the belief that neighboring nations have no right to their own existence, their own history, or their own sovereignty.
When Russia bombs churches and museums in Kiev, Kharkov, Odessa, Lviv, Chernihiv and other cities, this is not accidental collateral damage. It's a conscious message.
When Russian troops shelled the theater in Mariupol, in front of which the words “CHILDREN” were written in large letters visible from the air, it was not a mistake. It was news.
When Russian soldiers torture civilians in occupied areas, kidnap Ukrainian children and take them to Russia for “re-education,” when they systematically erase the Ukrainian language and culture in occupied areas – this is not an unfortunate consequence of war. This is the essence of this war.
The liquidation of the Ukrainian library and cultural center in the very center of Moscow and the suppression of the activities of organizations representing the large Ukrainian national minority in Russia were only a preliminary step.
Let's call it what it is: genocide – as defined by international law, meaning the deliberate destruction of a national, ethnic or cultural group.
Russia is trying to erase Ukraine from existence, to make the very concept of “Ukrainian” disappear from the face of the earth.
The world has seen this before. Then the world said, “Never again.” The world created institutions, signed treaties and made solemn promises. And today the world watches as Russia commits genocide before everyone's eyes – broadcast live and documented in shocking detail.
Every Ukrainian who dies defending his homeland is also defending the principle that free nations have the right to remain free.
PAP/EPA/SERGEY DOLZHENKO
Ukrainian rescuers work at the site of the Russian attack on the Dormition Cathedral at the Kiev Lavra in Kiev, Ukraine, June 15, 2026.
The world should also hear the blind hatred and criminal extremism of Russian propagandists who, day after day, convince Russian viewers and listeners on television and radio that Ukrainians should be exterminated and Western cities should be attacked with nuclear missiles.
And yet in the West there are still voices calling for “restraint”, there are still politicians fearing “escalation”, and intellectuals still write essays on the “complexity” of the situation.
There is no complexity here
A democratic European state is fighting for survival against a fascist empire that denies it the right to exist and acts as if it was inspired by the invasions of the Mongol hordes from the 13th century.
So let's have no illusions – this is not just Ukraine's fight. Russia's war against Ukraine is inextricably linked to Russia's war against the West, liberal democracy and the entire international order built after 1945 on the principle of the right of nations to self-determination.
Putin is equally open about it. He sees the West as decadent, weak and unworthy of its power. He considers democracy a farce and human rights a joke. He believes that right belongs to the stronger, that the stronger should dominate the weaker, that empires should rule and nations should submit to their will.
Ukraine stands in the way of this vision.
A Ukraine that chose democracy instead of autocracy, Europe instead of subordination, and freedom instead of the prison that Russia has become. The very fact of Ukraine's existence as a sovereign, democratic and European state is unacceptable to the Putin regime and is a strong reproach to everything that this regime represents.
That's why Putin cannot accept it. That's why he won't stop until someone stops him.
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“If Ukraine falls, you will be next”
Every Ukrainian who dies defending his homeland defends the principle that free nations have the right to remain free. Any city that refuses to capitulate is protecting not only Ukrainian sovereignty, but also the very idea that sovereignty matters. Every act of resistance is a declaration that the future will not belong to tyrants.
Ukraine is not asking the West to fight for it.
It is Ukrainian soldiers who give their lives on the front.
If Ukraine falls, the international order that has prevented wars between great powers for eighty years will collapse with it. Putin will not stop at Ukraine's borders – a pattern already visible in Georgia, Crimea and in his open statements about the “artificial” nature of the Baltic states.
Ukraine is not asking the West to fight for it. It is Ukrainian soldiers who pay the highest price. Ukraine is only asking for tools to defend itself, weapons to respond to aggression and support needed to win. Not to survive – to win. Because anything less than a Ukrainian victory would mean the triumph of genocide, imperialism and the principle that the stronger can devour the weaker with impunity.
The rubble on the streets of Kiev speaks a clear language.
They say: “This is what Russia does to those who refuse to comply“.
They say: “This awaits every nation that stands in the way of Russian imperialism“.
They say: “If Ukraine falls, you will be next“.
The choice comes down to two visions of the world: a world in which free states can defend themselves, or a world in which tyrants rule through terror. Ukraine has already made its choice, paid for it with blood and does not intend to give up.
Smoke is still rising from the rubble. The counting of victims is still ongoing. And Russia is already preparing another attack.
The time of hesitation, half-measures and comfortable illusions is over.
Ukraine is fighting for its life. He fights for yours too.
Don't have any illusions and do what is necessary.
I’m Ashley Davis as an editor, I’m committed to upholding the highest standards of integrity and accuracy in every piece we publish. My work is driven by curiosity, a passion for truth, and a belief that journalism plays a crucial role in shaping public discourse. I strive to tell stories that not only inform but also inspire action and conversation.
