RUSSIAN AIRSTRIKE DEVASTATES CHURCH IN KRAMATORSK
A Russian airstrike has severely damaged the Church of the Nativity of St. John the Baptist in Kramatorsk.
Part of the building collapsed under the force of the explosion. Its walls and roof were torn apart, the metal framework supporting the dome was twisted, and the church grounds were buried beneath shattered masonry and debris.
The parish began in 2001 inside a converted trailer serving as a temporary church. Three years later, the congregation began constructing the permanent sanctuary, including a dome made by local Kramatorsk craftsmen.
More than two decades of work and worship were shattered in seconds.
The church stands inside a residential neighborhood, surrounded by apartment buildings. Information about possible casualties at or near the site has not been released.
Behind the ruined sanctuary, a mural remains visible on an apartment building:
“Peace in the family. Peace in the country.”
Russia answered those words with an airstrike.