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During a Russian missile strike on Kyiv on December 20, the St. Nicholas Catholic Church, an important architectural landmark in Ukraine's capital, sustained damage. Father Pavlo Vyshkovsky, the church’s rector, reported to the Religious Information Service of Ukraine that windows in the church’s towers were blown out and stained-glass windows shattered. The "Rose," a large traditional Gothic stained glass window above the entrance, was also damaged, though no stucco molding was harmed.
The attack on Kyiv resulted in one fatality and damage to several embassies according to Ukraine’s Air Force Command. Ukrainian air defenses intercepted all five missiles and 40 unmanned aerial vehicles launched by Russia around 7 a.m., with another 20 drones failing to reach their targets.
Officials stated that falling debris caused damage and injuries in Kyiv's city center as cited by CNN. Father Vyshkovsky mentioned that worshippers have gathered to assist with cleanup efforts while awaiting an assessment from the Ministry of Culture regarding the extent of destruction.
Despite these setbacks, Christmas Mass is still scheduled for December 24 and 25 at St. Nicholas Church. “This will be a demonstration of our invincibility, for no one and nothing can steal Christmas from us,” Father Vyshkovsky expressed to RISU.
St. Nicholas Church was constructed between 1899 and 1909 in Neo-Gothic style by architect Vladyslav Horodetskyi and is one of two Roman Catholic churches built before 1917 in Kyiv. The church has been undergoing disrepair since 2009 with additional fire damage occurring in 2021. Although there were promises from the Ministry of Culture to transfer ownership to local believers, this has not yet taken place as of December 2024.
Ukraine’s foreign ministry spokesman Heorhii Tykhyi described the attack as “barbaric.” Portugal's foreign ministry condemned any attacks impacting diplomatic premises after its embassy suffered damages during this event. They announced plans to summon Russia's chargé d’affaires for a formal protest.
Embassies affected include those of Albania, Argentina, Palestine, North Macedonia, Portugal, and Montenegro where “windows and doors were smashed,” according to Tykhyi during a media briefing.
