Zelensky: About 120 Clergy Members Killed in Russian Attacks on Ukraine
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said in a US television interview that Russian forces have killed about 120 clergy members and destroyed or damaged about 800 religious buildings. He stressed that the attacks were deliberate.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has stated that Russian forces have killed roughly 120 clergy members and representatives of various religious organizations during the war in Ukraine. According to him, about 800 religious buildings have also been destroyed or damaged in attacks. The figures were given in an interview with the US program "This Week on Capitol Hill".
Deliberate attacks
Zelensky stressed that these deaths were not accidental. In his words, the strikes were aimed directly at the people, as well as at churches and other religious institutions. The excerpt of the interview does not cite individual cases or evidence.
Centuries-old buildings
The president noted that among the affected religious buildings are some that are about a thousand years old. In total, he said, around 800 such structures have suffered from Russian attacks.
Zelensky cited the data while describing the consequences of the war to a foreign audience. The account of the interview does not specify over what period the figures were accumulated or who compiled them, so they reflect the president's own stated assessment.
