On January 18, 2025, a rocket attack caused severe damage to the St. Andrew’s Cathedral in Zaporizhzhia, belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), according to the press service of the Zaporizhzhia Diocese.
The attack inflicted significant damage to the building. The roof was destroyed, the dome and structural elements were damaged, windows and interior classrooms were affected, and church frescoes, sacred items, and elements of the interior were ruined. Fortunately, there were no casualties. Eyewitnesses reported that a security guard and a parishioner managed to find shelter before the explosion.
The Cathedral of St. Andrew the First-Called is the main Orthodox church of the UOC in Zaporizhzhia. The diocese has appealed to parishioners and the general public for assistance. Everyone capable of providing financial or physical help is urged to contribute to the restoration efforts. Volunteers are already clearing debris and working to mitigate the destruction.
Amidst the ruins, a sacred relic—the icon of St. Andrew the First-Called—was found intact. This icon, created by the nuns of St. Nicholas Monastery in Patras, Greece, was consecrated on the relics of the saint and contains fragments of the Cross on which he was crucified. Despite extensive destruction, the relic remained nearly untouched, as shared on social media by Archpriest Hennadiy Yelin.