During the nightly shelling of Kyiv, the Vatican embassy building was damaged

The Russian attack on the night of July 10 hit the diplomatic mission of the Holy See in Ukraine – the debris of the drone fell a few meters from the nuncio’s residence.

The roof, garage and office premises of the Apostolic Nunciature in Kyiv were damaged during another massive shelling of the capital. Two explosions occurred very close to the embassy building, located in the Shevchenkivskyi district of the capital. For the first time since the start of a full-scale war, a diplomatic institution of the Holy See has come under fire from the Russians.

The building of the Apostolic Nunciature, the official representative office of the Vatican in Ukraine, was damaged during the night attack on July 10 in Kyiv, Vatican News reports, citing Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas. The institution was opened in 1992 and is located on Konyskyi Street in the Shevchenkivskyi district, which is currently one of the most heavily shelled in the capital. According to Apostolic Nuncio Visvaldas Kulbokas, the roof of the main building was damaged as a result of the shelling, and the garage and office space were also damaged.

Two drones exploded near the nunciature, the fragments of one of them fell a few meters from the residence of the archbishop himself and the guest of the institution – the newly proclaimed bishop of Kamianets-Podilsky. According to the nuncio, at the time of the attack, the drones were circling the building, which created a constant feeling of threat.

“We picked up about ten rather large fragments, and I think it was a drone, because they look like fragments of a drone, not a missile. As for the people, we are fine, we did not suffer any damage. But, of course, it makes an impression when you see explosions happening in close proximity,” said Archbishop Kulbokas.

The staff and nuns living at the nunciature spent a sleepless night in a room on the ground floor, which is used in case of evacuation. The work of the institution was complicated in the morning by roads blocked by debris and the danger of toxic fumes from fuel. Archbishop Kulbokas emphasized that the intensity of attacks on Kyiv has increased sharply since the end of May and continues throughout June and July, and civilian infrastructure, in particular diplomatic institutions, are under direct threat.