Pro-war Telegram channel Rybar acknowledges Russian strike on Kyiv monastery, defends attack, mocks fellow Z-bloggers
The Russian Telegram channel Rybar, closely linked to the Defense Ministry, has effectively admitted that Russian forces struck the historic Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The channel defends the attack and criticizes other pro-war bloggers for their contradictory stance, as they deny such strikes while calling for harsh military action.
The pro-war Telegram channel Rybar, known for its close ties to Russia's Defense Ministry, has effectively acknowledged that Russian forces were responsible for the strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. At the same time, the channel's authors defend the attack and mock other pro-Russian bloggers who deny such strikes.
The channel, created by former Defense Ministry press officer Mikhail Zvinchuk and his colleague Denis Shchukin, with reported financing from Wagner Group founder Yevgeny Prigozhin, now has over 1.5 million subscribers. Independent outlet Astra was among the first to flag Rybar's post.
Rybar's authors wrote that after four years of the "special military operation," "the urge to frantically defend something like that is illogical and inexplicable." They accuse other pro-war bloggers of "muddled thinking" for simultaneously condemning the leadership for being too soft and calling for carpet bombing and "burning Kyiv to nuclear ash," yet when someone follows that advice and hits the Lavra roof "even with no casualties," the same bloggers claim it's all a hoax and say, "Well, we're not like that!"
On June 15, Russia launched a massive strike on Kyiv, setting fire to the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Lavra officials reported two targeted drone strikes that caused significant damage to the cathedral, which UNESCO confirmed.
Russia's Defense Ministry claimed the Lavra complex was hit by a missile from a U.S.-supplied Patriot air defense system, citing the delivery of Western missiles with "expired shelf lives" as a reason for the system's malfunction.
The attack came five days after a Ukrainian drone struck the Defense of Sevastopol Museum in Crimea, nearly destroying a replica of its historic panoramic painting. Following that, Dmitry Medvedev, deputy chairman of Russia's Security Council, stated his desire to "respond symmetrically against similar sites on their side," but added, "We won't do that, because we are, after all, civilized people," noting that there are "other, very attractive targets" in Ukraine.
