A Russian missile strike on a historic Ukrainian cathedral has shocked local clergy.

Priests at the scene of the Transfiguration Cathedral, which was consecrated by the Russian Orthodox patriarch Kirill of Moscow in 2010 after an extensive rebuild, were scathing in their assessment.

“This is barbarism, it’s terrorism. The people who did this are not people at all,” said Myroslav Vdodovych, the cathedral’s chief priest, as he walked through the ruins, taking calls on his mobile phone and directing emergency workers to spots where there was rubble to clear.

“I was one of the first people here, because I got notified when the alarm signals went off. It was a direct hit, right in the altar area,” he said.

Odessa’s main Orthodox cathedral was established in 1794. It was destroyed by Stalin in 1936, but rebuilt under an independent Ukraine between 1999 and 2006. It was one of several historical parts of central Odessa, a UNESCO world heritage site, hit by Russian missiles strikes over the past week.

According to the Guardian, there is a sense of amazement that Moscow could launch such ruthless attacks against a storied city that plays such a large role in Russian cultural and historical narratives.