One of Ukraine's most significant religious sites, Dormition Cathedral, is among the buildings to have been left badly damaged in the latest waves of Russian strikes in the country.

The cathedral, which forms part of Pechersk Lavra monastery complex – a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Kyiv – was set alight during a night of drone and missile strikes across Ukraine on Monday morning.

In photos shared with Dezeen by UNESCO, significant damage can be seen to the historic building's exterior and interior where it caught fire.

This includes a gaping hole in its iconic roof, known for its multiple gold domes. Russia has denied hitting the site, but this was refuted by reports made by security officers on site.

Dormition Cathedral was damaged in a wave of strikes across Ukraine in the early hours of Monday morning, in which the military reported 70 missiles and 611 drones, and at least 11 people were reported to have been killed.

Elsewhere in Kyiv, the national film studio of Soviet filmmaker Oleksandr Dovzhenko, home to the country's largest and oldest costume collection, was also hit, along with historic structures close to the cathedral, including Ivan Kushnik Tower.

The president of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, described the cathedral attack as "one of Russia’s most serious crimes ​against Christian culture to date", while EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas labelled it a "war crime".

UNESCO has also condemned the attacks, adding that it is "ready to support relevant authorities in assessing damage".

"UNESCO condemns attacks against cultural property, educational institutions, students, education personnel and media professionals protected under international law," it said in a statement.

"Damage to such institutions deprives communities of access to culture, education, and shared spaces that are essential for recovery and social cohesion."

It is over four years since Russian forces began their full-scale invasion of Ukraine, which is the largest and deadliest war in Europe since world war two.

Among the many Ukrainian architecture studios affected by the tragedy is Archimatika, one of the country's largest firms, which told Dezeen that in the past two weeks alone, two of its key projects have been significantly damaged by Russian attacks.

These are a school within its Comfort Town residential district in Kyiv, as well as parts of the Unit City innovation park and residential development, also in the capital.

However, its founder Dmytro Vasyliev told Dezeen that the studio defiantly continues to focus on providing "stability, safety and normality" for people in Ukraine, despite the constant threat of Russian bombardment.

"The war has not changed the essence of our work as architects," he said.

"As much as possible in times of war, our task is to create environments that help people not simply endure difficult circumstances, but continue living full and meaningful lives," Vasyliev continued.

"What the war does change is this: projects that took years to design and build can be damaged overnight. For any architect, this is painful. You invest years of your life in a project, only to see part of that work destroyed in a matter of seconds," he explained.

"At the same time, buildings can be repaired and rebuilt. Nothing compares to the human cost of this war."

Vasyliev added that the studio is supporting building owners and developers with repair processes, while also turning its focus to creating safe spaces for local people, using its learnings and observations from the war over the past four years.

"In addition to mandatory regulations and underground shelters, we are introducing reinforced concrete safe rooms and paying closer attention to material selection," he explained.

"Recent attacks have shown that different facade systems respond very differently to blast impacts. For example, at Unit Home, ventilated porcelain facades were almost completely destroyed, while the plaster facades at Comfort Town, where the school is located, sustained only minor damage."

"We design for life, not for war. That is why we continue doing what we have always done: creating high-quality environments for people."

Earlier this year, we spoke to designers in the country about the unexpected trend of striking interiors that have emerged in Ukraine since the invasion in February 2022.

Elsewhere in Kyiv, Aranchii Architects is currently developing a church with a community air raid shelter, which will be designed to ensure "comfort and dignity".

The photography is by Zhanna Sirkovych, courtesy of UNESCO, unless stated otherwise.