Russian drone strikes hit Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences, killing two

Russian forces launched a drone attack on Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences on Monday, killing two people and wounding at least one other, officials said. The strike, which involved a fast-moving drone hitting the historic building at a steep angle, caused flames to engulf part of the structure and debris to fall in nearby courtyards.

Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported that missile debris landed in a courtyard of one building while a second building caught fire. Former National Security Council secretary Volodymyr Horbulin, who was at the academy during the attack, said his assistant was killed and that he sustained minor injuries.

Ukraine's foreign ministry condemned the attack, describing it as an assault on a scientific institution during working hours and urging allies to supply additional air-defence systems. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russian forces also struck a medical facility in Kyiv and that at least nine people had been killed in drone strikes across the country, with more than 80 injured. He noted that 90 of the 120 drones used on Monday were jet-propelled, with a 57% interception rate, and said new interceptors were being tested.

Other targets in Kyiv included a pharmaceutical company and petrol stations, while attacks in Dnipro, Synelnykove and Zaporizhzhia resulted in additional civilian casualties. Ukrainian officials said Russian strikes have increasingly focused on data centres, telecommunications and other economic infrastructure, raising concerns about a potential communications blackout.

In response, Ukraine has stepped up its own strikes on Russian oil facilities and defence plants, while both sides deny intentionally targeting civilians.