Ukrainian papers are covering the historic monastery in Kyiv that was set ablaze on Tuesday amid Russian strikes. The Kyiv Independent explains why Kyiv’s ancient monastery is so important for Ukraine. It’s “one of the holiest places”, says the headline. The article notes that the monastery, founded at the beginning of the 11th century, is one of Orthodox Christianity’s oldest and most sacred monasteries. The paper says that this level of violence against the holy site hasn’t been witnessed since World War II, when the Soviets bombed it with explosives. 

Another Ukrainian paper, Euromaidan Press, says that after reportedly hitting the monastery, Russia launched a disinformation campaign with five different scenarios. The article says this is a classic move that has been seen before, when Russia has tried to justify strikes on civilian or cultural targets in Ukraine. In one scenario, Russian sources are blaming Ukraine for the fire at the monastery, calling it “Ukrainian provocation” or even “self-arson”. In another scenario, they say they struck military targets. 

Al Arabiya English covers Russia’s response. The Russian foreign ministry says that the Ukrainian allegations are a “crude fake”. It claims that Russia simply attacked military factories and actually blames a US air defence missile for damaging the religious site. The ministry’s spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, also accuses Emmanuel Macron and other European politicians of rushing and falsely blaming Moscow.

Next, we bring you a story about the struggle of a French-Vietnamese woman who is fighting against the multinational corporations that manufactured the toxic chemical Agent Orange. Reporterre looks back at the battle waged for over a decade by Tran To Nga. She is appealing against 14 multinational companies that supplied the US military with the highly toxic herbicide known as Agent Orange. This is the chemical that poisoned her and millions of other people during the Vietnam War. Le Temps is also covering the battle of the 84-year-old woman. She is challenging the argument that these companies were merely responding to US government contracts. If her appeal in France fails, Tran to Nga has promised that she will take her case to the European Court of Human Rights. 

Meanwhile, an investigation by Balkan Insight and BIRN reveals that North Korean hackers have been stealing identities from Serbia and Bosnia. The hackers are doing it to gain freelance work with American and European companies. They use the stolen European names, their photos and email address to create the account. The paper says that the aim is to “raise revenues for North Korea“. A report shows that “at least a portion” of the revenue was used to help “weapons development and production” and other state projects. In 2024, North Korea likely earned between $350 and 800 million from its IT workers online. The hackers use Chinese banks and different payment methods, like cryptocurrency transactions, which are difficult to trace. If they get caught or a country improves its defences, they move on to the next victim. 

Finally, a theatre in Turkey has welcomed an unexpected participant. A video posted by The Guardian shows a cat abruptly interrupting the final scene of “Romeo and Juliet” in Izmir. But the show must go on, so the actors simply continued their performance. 

You can catch our press review every morning on France 24 at 7:20am and 9:20am (Paris time), from Monday to Friday.