Ukrainian Council of Churches urges more aid and sanctions after Russian attack on monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine

The Ukrainian Council of Churches and Religious Organizations (VRCIRO) issued a statement after a Russian attack on Kyiv on the night of October 22, 2026. The statement invites the council to strengthen assistance to Ukraine, to international organizations and to religious communities, and to increase pressure on Russia through sanctions.

According to the organization, the attack on six neighbourhoods of the capital involved more than 20 missiles and 200 drones, including an Iskander ballistic missile with a cluster warhead. Housing buildings, medical facilities, commercial centres, fuel stations and an Orthodox monastery near the Kyiv-Pechersk monastery were damaged. At least 22 people were injured, including four children, and one person was killed.

The statement rejects efforts by some Western figures to play down the actions of the Russian state, to accuse Ukraine of escalation, and to describe Vladimir Putin as humanitarian because of the sporadic release of hostages. It states that Putin is personally responsible for state terrorism against Ukraine and its civilian population, and for the killings and destruction caused by Russian weapons attacks, which have intensified in recent weeks. The clergy’s assessment of these attacks was confirmed by the Supreme Council for Religious Affairs of Ukraine, according to the source. Citing the Office of the Prosecutor-General, the statement also reports approximately 300,000 crimes of aggression since February 2022, more than 19,000 civilian deaths, 762 children killed, the destruction of thousands of infrastructure sites, and the use of chemical weapons and cluster munitions. Care for those harmed by such attacks reflects the concern for the vulnerable found in Psalm 82:3.

On the night of October 22, Russian forces fired three ballistic missiles with cluster warheads at Kyiv. One struck an area between two monasteries, which the source names as the Kiev-Bishirsk monastery and the Sveato-Vidinski monastery. A fragment hit an icon of Jesus Christ at the monastery entrance, and the image was damaged in the chest area. According to the source, shrapnel also damaged the monastery roof. Two pastoral workers were reportedly injured.

The same night, a joint Russian attack damaged a commercial complex, and several shops within it were harmed.

A Dekatlon sports shop in the Bucena area of Kyiv was temporarily suspended because of damage from the rocket attack on the night of October 22. The store is not currently serving customers.

Source: Read the original report (translated from Arabic)