Russian strike damages St Catherine's Cathedral in Kherson – photo, video

A large-scale Russian attack on the city of Kherson on 20 December damaged a significant architectural landmark and one of the city's oldest Orthodox churches, St Catherine's Cathedral. Source: Priest Heorhii Huliaiev of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on Facebook Quote: "All morning, Russian occupiers have been firing Grad rockets and artillery on Kherson.

The historic 18th-century St Catherine's Cathedral."

This was not the first attack on the cathedral.Photo: Georgiy Gulyaev / Facebook

Details: Heorhii Huliaiev also shared photos and videos of a cathedral's dome damaged by Russian attack. Russia began the large-scale attack on the city of Kherson at 05:00, targeting residential areas, social infrastructure and critical facilities. Explosions were heard across all districts of the city.

Private and multi-storey residential buildings, power lines, an educational institution and a hospital were damaged. Two fatalities have been reported so far - men aged 60 and 75.

About St Catherine's Cathedral: St Catherine's Cathedral is one of the oldest Orthodox churches in the city of Kherson.

Built between 1781 and 1786 on the ruins of the wooden St Michael's Church using Inhulets limestone, it is known for its distinctive pale-yellow colour and is a notable example of neoclassical architecture.

St Catherine's CathedralNataliya Shestakova / Wikipedia

In the 18th century, a burial site for Russian soldiers who perished during the Russo-Turkish War of 1787-1791 was established near the cathedral. Grigory Potemkin, a prominent Russian military leader, was also buried there. When retreating from Kherson in October 2022, Russian troops allegedly took Potemkin's remains with them.

This is not the first Russian attack on St Catherine's Cathedral. Last August, the church caught fire following shelling. When State Emergency Service personnel arrived at the site, Russian forces immediately shelled the cathedral once again.

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