Russia denies targeting Kiev monastery, claims it was damaged by US anti-aircraft missiles

The Russian Foreign Ministry today dismissed as a "blatant lie" accusations by Ukraine and the West that Russian forces had hit one of the most famous Orthodox holy sites, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, during this morning's major attacks across Ukraine.

The 1.000-year-old monastery complex in Kiev was reportedly damaged in these attacks.

The Russian Defense Ministry said earlier today that American Patriot anti-aircraft missiles used by Ukrainians were to blame for the damage to the religious site, Reuters reports.

Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova accused Ukraine and the West of planning "another falsification" and stated that the Russian Defense Ministry had accurately described what really happened.

In a statement, Zakharova also accused French President Emmanuel Macron and other European leaders of rushing to falsely condemn Moscow for the damage to the monastery, while remaining silent about the deadly Ukrainian strikes on a student dormitory and museum in Crimea, where, she said, a valuable work of art was destroyed.