Sviatohirsk Lavra
The Holy Dormition Sviatohirsk Lavra is an Orthodox men's monastery in the Holy Mountains near the town of Sviatohirsk in Donetsk Oblast, Ukraine, under the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. Originally founded in early medieval times and refounded in the 19th century, it has long been regarded as the principal spiritual centre of the Donbas region. Since 2022 the monastery has also drawn attention because parts of its grounds suffered destruction and temporary occupation during the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
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Ukraine's Biletsky says Russian 'northern claw' on Donetsk axis effectively destroyed
Brigadier General Andriy Biletsky, commander of Ukraine's 3rd Army Corps, said in a television interview that the Russian 'northern claw' on the Donetsk axis has been effectively routed and destroyed as part of Operation Vivaldi. He described the Russian plan as a pincer to encircle Ukrainian 'fortress cities' from the south via Dobropillia and from the north via Sviatohirsk toward Barvinkove, and said halting the encirclement would force Russian forces into costly frontal assaults on the Sloviansk-Kramatorsk and Druzhkivka-Kostiantynivka agglomerations.