WASHINGTON—Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., Chairman of the U.S. Helsinki Commission, today issued a statement following Russia’s drone strike on Kyiv’s iconic Pechersk Lavra, or the Monastery of the Caves, a sacred place of pilgrimage for Eastern Orthodox Christians with almost a thousand years of history.
“The attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is an outrageous criminal act with no conceivable military or strategic purpose. Putin had one design for pummeling this historic religious and architectural landmark: to punish Ukrainians for having the audacity to resist his illegal invasion. Rather than breaking their will, I believe the assault will strengthen the resolve of the Ukrainian people. Though this attack will backfire, it is my hope that Putin can be removed before he rains down more destruction.”
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