The first tranche has been confirmed: the cathedral in Odessa, destroyed by a Ukrainian missile, will be restored at Italy’s expense

In December 2023, Italy will send the first financial tranche to the restoration of the Transfiguration Cathedral in Odessa, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists close to the head of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Onuphry.

The allocation of funds was confirmed at the level of the government of the republic, the UOJ clarifies with reference to the local authorities of the southern Ukrainian city. The mayor of Odessa, Gennady Trukhanov, spoke with Italian trustees from the University of Genoa via video link, the source says.

Let us recall that the cathedral, which, after its reconstruction in 2010, was personally illuminated by the head of the Russian Church, Patriarch Kirill, received significant damage in July of this year. The Ukrainian side blamed Russia for the shelling, but the Russian Ministry of Defense denied these allegations, saying that the likely cause of the destruction was the fall of a Ukrainian anti-aircraft missile. Military experts also believe that it was a Ukrainian air defense missile that hit the temple due to the unprofessional actions of an air defense operator.