How Attacking Kyiv's Cathedral Exposes Putin's Desperation, Diminished Options

After all the Ukrainians have been through over the past four years, this is the best the Kremlin can do? Attack a world historical religious landmark? As if that is going to change the calculus of the war that Russia is losing on the battlefield, on the seas, in the air and on its economy.

What the attack on the Lavra Cathedral complex reveals is Putin's desperation and his diminishing options. It was a pathetic lashing out of rage and frustration, which simply reflects his impotence. JL

Phillips O'Brien reports in his substack:

The Russians could have attacked Kyiv's Lavra Cathedral complex any time since 2022. Until this week they did not do so, realizing that attacking such a building of historic, religious and cultural value to Ukrainians held out no strategic benefit but did hold great risk of enraging Ukrainians even more and appalling European opinion. What the attack revealed is that the Russians have little new to add to their terror and threats. Faced with an ongoing Ukrainian long-range assault on their strategic industries, the Russians could not escalate strategically and have no way to do more to the Ukrainian economy or war machine. All they could do to show their desperation was attack a great historical monument. Their way of escalating is now limited to going after soft targets of cultural and emotional value.

I have never been to Moscow but I have, thankfully, had the opportunity to visit Kyiv a number of times over the last few years. As a historian it was a particular pleasure as it has a rich history stretching back to its foundation in the early medieval period, to today. Of its early buildings that survive, two complexes stand out. First is the monastery and cathedral of Saint Sophia, which dominates the center of the city and has some amazing early mosaics. Then there is the extensive Lavra monastery complex which lies on the banks of the Dnipro River a few miles from the center of Kyiv.

Lavra has played an important and controversial part in this war. When I first visited it in 2023, it was still half under the occupation of forces of the Moscow patriarchy—a Putinist outpost in the heart of Kyiv. However the beauty of the place was what stood out, and of all the buildings in Lavra, the Dormition Cathedral was the grandest. You can read about it here.

When the news of the Russian attack on Lavra came out this week, I went back and discovered I took many pictures of the Dormition Cathedral—here are three. It is important to see it in its full grandeur.

Note the red brick at the bottom—this is the exposed medieval brickwork that has survived It was a very advanced structure for the time.

The front exterior—you will see this again in the shot of the cathedral burning.

The interior made my Baroque-loving heart very happy.

Now the Russians could have attacked Lavra at any time since 2022, and the Dormition Cathedral would have been the easiest building in the whole complex to target—being the largest and central. However until this week they did not do so, maybe realizing that attacking such a building of historic, religious and cultural value to Ukrainians held out no strategic benefit but did hold out great risk (of enraging Ukrainians even more and appalling European opinion).

This week, however, the Russians lost their self-control. They targeted the Dormition Cathedral and set it ablaze.

Here is a shot of it burning. Think of it as attacking Westminster Abbey in London or St Peters Basilica in Rome.

What the attack revealed is that the Russians have little new at this point to add to their long-range mix, except terror and threats. Faced with an ongoing Ukrainian long-range assault on their strategic industries, the Russians could not escalate strategically and have no way to do more to the Ukrainian economy or war machine than they have been doing. All they could do to show their desperation was attack a great historical monument. The message to Ukrainians was clear; we have no restraints and are happy to wipe out the key repositories of your identity and history. As such, wiping out you is something we are willing to do.

However the Ukrainians already know that. They have been fighting since 2022 knowing that the Russians would be willing to wipe them out. So attacking this cathedral reinforced only a message that the Ukrainians have already received, just in a particularly brutal, grandiose and stupid way.

In other words, the Russians can only do what they have been doing—and their way of escalating is now limited to going after soft targets of cultural and emotional value.