Russian missile blast shatters Kyiv church's stained glass
On Friday morning, a shockwave from the explosion of a Russian missile damaged the stained glass windows above the main entrance of St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv. The parish priest, Father Pawlo Wyszkowski, reported the incident to the Polish Press Agency.
During the early morning Rorate Mass, attended by about 20 parishioners, the windows in the stained glass and both side towers of the church were shattered. "The glass from the stained glass windows was blown out. We are assessing the damage for now, but, fortunately, no one was hurt because the explosion occurred during the Rorate Mass," said Father Wyszkowski.
The parishioners were in an underground chapel, which serves as a shelter during alarms. "This is our shelter. The school nearby also uses it; students come here during alarms," the priest emphasized.
The explosion also caused damage to a nearby business center and hotel. Debris fell onto the roofs of buildings and damaged cars parked on the street, some of which caught fire. Emergency services are still working at the scene, and residents are clearing glass from the sidewalks.
The monument of Juliusz Słowacki standing next to the church was not damaged, although pieces of twisted metal were found in front of it. "It looks like it could be from the church towers, but I'm not sure. We will wait for the firefighters to determine that," added Father Wyszkowski.
The church in Kyiv suffered. It is over 100 years old
St. Nicholas Church, designed by Władysław Horodecki and built between 1899 and 1909, is a Neo-Gothic temple located in the center of Kyiv. Until 1936, it served the Catholic community before being closed by Soviet authorities and repurposed for economic uses.
In September 2021, a fire severely damaged the church, destroying, among other things, the historic organ and some liturgical equipment.
In November 2021, the parish reached an agreement with the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine regarding the reconstruction of the church. The agreement stipulated that the church would be returned to the faithful on June 1, 2022.
It will be returned to the faithful, confirmed the Ukrainian Minister of Culture at the time during a visit to the church. Nonetheless, the handover of the temple has not yet occurred.
During the morning attack on Kyiv, Russian forces used Kinzhal aeroballistic missiles, launched from MiG-31K aircraft, and Iskander/KN-23 ballistic missiles. One person died, and nine were injured. Debris from the intercepted missiles fell on buildings and cars in three city districts, causing fires.
It's worth noting that Ukraine is willing to negotiate the end of the war with Russia, but only on its own terms, said the Chairman of the Verkhovna Rada (Parliament), Ruslan Stefanchuk, on Thursday, commenting on Vladimir Putin's statement about Russia's readiness for talks.
My position has not changed. In this war, the aggressor is the Russian Federation, and the victim is Ukraine. Only the conditions of Ukraine, as the victim of this aggression, should be the terms on which we are ready to make peace," stated Stefanchuk at a briefing.
