Russian drone strike hits Ukraine's Academy of Sciences in Kyiv

Russian drones struck the building of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv on September 28, according to Ukrainian officials, as part of a wave of attacks on the capital and other regions. Ukrainian officials reported deaths and dozens of injuries; casualty figures varied between reports and could not be independently verified.

What was hit in Kyiv

According to Ukrainska Pravda, the strikes on September 28 hit the National Academy of Sciences building, the Dobrobut medical centre on Antonovycha Street, and a non-residential building and warehouse in the Obolonskyi district. Seven people were injured at the medical centre, six of them staff members, the outlet reported.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said: "Twenty-four people have been injured as a result of enemy attacks on the capital on 28 September. Three of them are children." Ukrainska Pravda reported that one woman was killed, identified as Nataliia Bukalo, an assistant to Volodymyr Horbulin, a former secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council. Al Jazeera later reported that at least two people were killed in the strike on the academy.

Horbulin said his assistant near the academy "was killed" and that he suffered minor injuries, according to Al Jazeera. The academy described the attack as "Russian terror" and "barbarity" against "peaceful people who were simply at their workplaces," Al Jazeera reported.

Strikes across Ukraine

Al Jazeera reported strikes in several regions over the same period, including on a business centre in Dnipro, where three people were killed and 19 wounded, and on infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia, where 32 people were wounded. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least nine people had been killed in drone strikes nationwide, with more than 80 wounded.

Ukrainian officials said 90 of the 120 drones fired in one attack were jet-powered rather than propeller-driven, and that only 57 percent of this type were intercepted, according to Al Jazeera.

Russia's Defence Ministry said it had struck data centres of the telecoms companies Kyivstar and Omega Telecom, alleging they provided services to Ukrainian forces, Al Jazeera reported. Ukraine, for its part, struck the Pavlovskaya oil depot in Russia's Krasnodar region, with no injuries reported.

Ukraine's response

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said: "Russia is deliberately expanding the boundaries of what it believes the world will tolerate," and called for more air defence support, according to Al Jazeera.

Why it matters

The attacks show Russia continuing heavy drone strikes on Ukrainian cities, including civilian institutions such as a scientific academy and a medical centre,. Ukraine's warnings about faster jet-powered drones that are harder to intercept add to its calls for more air defence from partners.

Sources

This article was drafted with AI assistance and checked against the sources above. Company claims are reported as claims. Cover image is AI-generated.