Vatican's Representation damaged during Russian attack on Kyiv

The building of the Vatican Embassy in Kyiv. Photo: kyiv diplomatic

During the night between 9 and 10 July, when the city of Kyiv was subjected to a massive Russian attack involving drones and ballistic missiles, the building of the Vatican Representation was damaged. This was reported in an interview with Vatican News by Apostolic Nuncio Visvaldas Kulbokas.

"I saw with my own eyes and heard with my own ears that some drones circled directly around the nunciature and nearby houses," said Kulbokas.

"I also inspected the damage to nearby residential buildings: one about 70 metres away, another about 90 metres. Our own premises suffered some damage as well, both to the main building - the roof - and to the garage and service areas. We collected around ten fairly large fragments, and I believe it was a drone rather than a missile," he noted.

The Apostolic Nunciature in Kyiv is located in the Shevchenkivskyi district, the most heavily targeted neighbourhood in Kyiv in terms of both missile and drone strikes. The Apostolic Nuncio also added that during the days of intense attacks, it is impossible to open windows: the city is burning, the toxic fuel from the drones and missiles fills the air, and for several hours it’s dangerous to breathe.

As reported by the UOJ, Zelensky discussed with the Pope the Vatican's role in peace talks.

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