Zelensky vows ‘retaliation’ for destruction of historic church in Odessa

July 23 (UPI) -- A Russian missile strike on the Ukrainian city of Odessa killed at least one person while damaging a historic church protected by the United Nations.

The Spaso-Preobrazhenskyi Cathedral, also known as the Transfiguration Cathedral, is a historical church in the port city founded in 1794. It is a protected heritage site of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky vowed in a statement that "there will definitely be a retaliation" for the destruction of the church.

"They will feel this retaliation. All those who suffered from this latest terrorist attack are being provided with assistance," Zelesnky said.

"I am grateful to everyone who is helping people and to everyone who is with Odesa in their thoughts and emotions. We will get through this. We will restore peace. And for this, we must defeat the Russian evil."

Russia claimed Sunday that the cathedral was attacked by Ukrainian air defenses, the BBC reported. Russia has been known to plant false flags of information since the start of the war.

Reports with the BBC surveyed the damage and stated there is "no doubt" that the church was directly hit by a missile. It is missing most of its roof and its support pillars show structural damage.

Odessa has been mercilessly attacked by Russian troops, causing damage to the church earlier this week, according to UNESCO.

The U.N. officials noted that the attacks on the church in Odessa came just weeks after a strike destroyed a historic building in Lviv.

"A preliminary assessment in Odessa has revealed damage to several museums inside the World Heritage property, including the Odesa Archaeological Museum, the Odesa Maritime Museum and the Odessa Literature Museum," UNESCO said in its statement.

"They had all been marked by UNESCO and local authorities with the Blue Shield, the distinctive emblem of the 1954 Hague Convention."