2023-07-23 13:27:58
A rocket hit the main altar on Sunday night, the local diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church said, according to Kathpress. A security guard was injured and taken to a clinic. Pictures show that the ceiling of the cathedral has collapsed.
As a result of the shelling, a fire broke out in the church, which had to be extinguished by the fire brigade, it was said. More than 40 buildings in Odessa were damaged in the Russian missile attack, according to Ukrainian authorities on Sunday. As a result, one person died. 22 people were injured, including four children.
Photo gallery: Odessa Cathedral badly damaged by rocket attacks
(Photo: APA/AFP/Oleksandr Gimanov) Bild 1/25
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The diocese condemned “the aggression of the Russian Federation once morest Ukraine, this act of terrorism once morest the main sanctuary and spiritual center of the city of Odessa”. The head of the church, Metropolitan Onufri, expressed his deep sorrow at “the further enemy attack on the city of Odessa”. “Those who aim for the sky ultimately hit themselves,” he emphasized. The cathedral is a masterpiece of Christian architecture.
Due to the Russian war of aggression once morest Ukraine, the Ukrainian church broke away from the Moscow Patriarchate in May 2022 and declared itself independent.
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In January, UNESCO added the historic center of Odessa to its World Heritage List. Only on Friday did the cultural organization of the United Nations condemn the destruction of several museums in the city. “Unesco is once more calling for an end to attacks on cultural property,” the statement said, without mentioning Russia. “This war poses a growing threat to Ukrainian culture.” Since February 24, 2022, damage has been registered at 270 cultural sites in Ukraine.
Destroyed in 1936 under Soviet ruler Josef Stalin, the cathedral was rebuilt true to the original between 2000 and 2002. It dates from the end of the 18th century.
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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy also sharply condemned the Russian attack: “Missiles once morest peaceful cities, once morest residential buildings, a cathedral (…) There is no excuse for Russian evil,” he wrote on Twitter. He announced “retaliation once morest Russian terrorists” for Odessa. “You will feel this retribution,” says Zelenskyj.
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