PARIS, August 7. /TASS/. Russia’s mission to UNESCO said it called on the organization's Director-General Audrey Azoulay to condemn Ukrainian shelling of the Kursk Region, which caused the church of the Gornal St. Nicholas Monastery to burn down.

"This shelling is yet another flagrant violation by Ukraine of its international obligations under the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict," the mission said. "We call on UNESCO Director-General Ms. Audrey Azoulay to raise her voice in defense of Russia's cultural property and condemn the criminal actions of Kiev!"

According to the mission, the church has a status of a site of Russian cultural heritage.

Ukrainian forces started a massive attack on the Kursk Region on August 6. Missile attack alerts have been often issued in the region since then. Bombardments and drone attacks killed five residents of the region. According to the Russian Health Ministry, 24 people were injured, including six children.

Army General Valery Gerasimov, chief of the General Staff of the Russian Armed Forces, told Russian President Vladimir Putin that the operation on the border in the Kursk Region will end by defeating Ukrainian forces and regaining control of the Russian border. According to the officer, the Ukrainian assault involved up to 1,000 servicemen. The enemy lost 315 people, at least 100 of them as killed, along with 54 units of equipment, including seven tanks.