Pro-Russian accounts share fake proof that Ukraine is behind the burning of Kyiv cathedral

Pro-Russian social media users claimed on June 15, 2026, that a fire at the Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv was caused by a Ukrainian strike. Their so-called “proof”, however, was AI-generated. © X

Pro-Kremlin social media users are blaming Ukraine for a strike that led to a fire at the Dormition Cathedral in Kyiv, a UNESCO World Heritage site. However, the images they say constitute “proof” were actually AI-generated.

The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an Orthodox monastic complex listed as a Unesco World Heritage site, was hit by a strike during the night of June 14 to 15. The strike was carried out by a Russian drone, according to the international community and Ukrainian authorities. French President Emmanuel Macron called the bombing of this sacred religious site "an attack against [our] universal heritage” on X.