Sawt Falasteen - Restoring Kyiv cathedral hit by Russia could take two years: director

A Russian barrage of missiles and drones on Monday morning killed at least 11 people across Ukraine and sparked a fire at the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, one of the most important Orthodox monasteries.

"According to our expert estimates, assuming everything goes smoothly, the restoration and renovation work could take around two years," Maksym Ostapenko, the director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra complex, told reporters during a press conference at the site.

He added the damage on the monastery was preliminary valued at around 500 million hryvnias ($11 million), an estimate expected to be finalised in the coming days.

Ostapenko was giving a press conference in front of the Dormition Cathedral, next to burnt-out debris and parts of a golden cross.

The cathedral, set alight in the overnight attacks, was almost completely destroyed during World War II and rebuilt only in the 1990s.

On top of the cathedral, amid ashes swirling in the wind, workers were already setting up a new roof to protect the building and its collection of icons.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an 11th-century monastery with emblematic golden domes, is venerated by both the Russian and Ukrainian wings of the Orthodox Church as one of their most important spiritual centres.

Ukraine said it was hit by Russian drones -- something rejected by Moscow, which said it was struck by a misfiring US-made Patriot air-defence missile.

Culture Minister Tetiana Berezhna said the Russian strikes were "one of the largest attacks on Ukrainian culture and Ukrainian cultural heritage" of the four-year invasion, with 13 monuments and sites hit across the country.

Lavra director Ostapenko said his team were working to reopen the site to visitors as soon as possible.

"Now we are looking into the possibility of resuming visits to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra sites... because it must continue to live," he said.

B.AbuZeid--SF-PST