Rybar, a Telegram channel with close ties to Russia’s Defense Ministry, has effectively acknowledged that Russian forces struck the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a historic Orthodox monastery complex in Ukraine’s capital. The channel’s authors also accuse other pro-war bloggers of inconsistency and “muddled thinking” in their commentary about the attack.
The independent outlet Astra was among the first to flag the post at Rybar, whose authors stop short of identifying the strike as Russian, though they defend the attack.
The Telegram channel “Rybar’” was created by a former Defense Ministry press officer, Mikhail Zvinchuk, and his colleague Denis Shchukin. The Bell reported that Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin was involved in financing the channel.
The Telegram channel “Rybar’” now has more than 1.5 million subscribers.
“After four years of this Special Military Operation [sic], the urge to frantically defend something like that is illogical and inexplicable,” Rybar wrote. The channel’s authors said other pro-war Russian bloggers both “condemn the leadership for going easy on the enemy and refusing to fight for real” and call for carpet bombing and “burning Kyiv to nuclear ash.”
“But the second you actually take that advice by even an iota — and hit the roof of the Kyiv Lavra, even with no casualties — part of that very same blogosphere falls over itself to proclaim it’s all fake and a grand conspiracy. And adds, without sarcasm: ‘Well, we’re not like that!’” the authors wrote.
Russia launched a massive strike on Kyiv on June 15. The attack set fire to the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, a historical and architectural monument on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Lavra officials said Russia carried out two targeted drone strikes on the complex. The strike caused significant damage to the Dormition Cathedral, UNESCO reported.
Russia’s Defense Ministry said the Lavra building complex was struck by a missile from a U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense system. The ministry cited the delivery to Kyiv of Western missiles with “expired shelf lives” as one reason for the system’s malfunction.
The attack in Kyiv came five days after a Ukrainian drone struck the Defense of Sevastopol Museum in Crimea, nearly destroying a replica of the museum’s historic panoramic painting in the resulting fire. In the aftermath, Dmitry Medvedev — deputy chairman of Russia’s Security Council and head of the United Russia party — stated his desire to “respond symmetrically against similar sites on their side.” “But you understand, we won’t do that, because we are, after all, civilized people,” Medvedev said, noting that “there are other, very attractive targets [in Ukraine].”
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