Russian Drones Kill Nine Across Ukraine Including One at Kyiv Science Academy
Russian jet-powered drones struck the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv on Monday, killing at least one person there as part of a wave of attacks that President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said killed nine people and injured more than 80 across Ukraine. [1]
Deadly Strike on Kyiv's National Academy of Sciences
A high-speed drone hit the historic National Academy of Sciences building, causing a fire and sending people fleeing from windows. [3] One death was confirmed at the site and three people were hospitalized. [2] Video footage showed the drone smashing into the building at a sharp angle, exploding and sending acrid smoke into the sky. [3] People were seen leaning out of windows as bright orange flames engulfed part of the structure. [3] Ukraine's former national security and defence council secretary Volodymyr Gorbulin told state broadcaster Suspilne that he was at work at the academy at the time and was slightly wounded, but his assistant, who was near the building, was killed. [3] The academy called the strike "Russian terror" and "barbarity", targeting "peaceful people who were simply at their workplaces ... Ukrainian science, education and culture". [3] Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said 19 people were wounded in the capital, six of them hospitalized. [2] The National Academy of Sciences is close to the German embassy, a cathedral, the national opera and government buildings. [3]
Zelenskyy Reports Nationwide Toll and Additional Kyiv Targets
Zelenskyy reported additional strikes in Kyiv on a pharmaceutical company, gas stations and a medical facility, with other regions seeing hits on civilian buildings, businesses and communications infrastructure. [2] He said nine people had been killed and more than 80 injured in Russian drone strikes throughout the country. [1] Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that every partner of Ukraine must see from this terror and these attacks that support for Ukraine means real support for human lives. [2] Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sibiga accused Russia of cynicism for attacking a scientific institution in the middle of a working day. [2] He said Russia is deliberately pushing the boundaries of what it thinks the world still tolerates, and that every attack that remains without a decisive response only encourages the next one. [2]
Attacks on Kharkiv, Dnipro and Other Cities
In Kharkiv, 29 people including 10 minors were wounded in strikes on a residential building using glide bombs. [2] Russian strikes also hit a business center in Dnipro, killing four and wounding at least 19. [3] Targets were also hit in Zaporizhzhia, Zhytomyr, Sumy, Rivne and Odesa. [2] Thirty civilians were wounded, three of them seriously, in strikes on Zaporizhzhia, according to the regional military administration. [3] Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky said Russian forces damaged an ice cream factory in the Zhytomyr region west of Kyiv, and residential buildings in Sumy, in the north, Rivne, in the northwest, and southern Odesa. [3] Authorities reported an unspecified number of fatalities in a strike on a residential area in eastern Kharkiv. [3]
Russian Confirmation and Kremlin Statement
Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed attacks on data centers in Kyiv used for Ukrainian military communications and on logistics sites in Odesa region. [2] The ministry stated that the strikes targeted data centers providing mobile telephony and internet services to the Ukrainian armed forces, as well as logistics centers and a ship carrying supplies for the Ukrainian military in the Odesa region. [2] The Kremlin said Ukraine is paying the price for its attacks on Russia in recent months and will continue to pay. [2] Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said that in response to Ukrainian drone attacks on Moscow during September parliamentary elections and on St. Petersburg during an economic forum in June, Ukraine will have to pay the price for its actions in recent months. [2] He added that this is happening now as Russian armed forces continue their special military operation. [2]
Ukrainian Officials Warn of Winter Risks
Prime Minister Koretsky urged vulnerable residents to seek alternative winter housing due to expected further strikes on energy infrastructure. [2] He told TSN television that if a person lives on the 16th floor and power gets cut, the state emergency service specialists need to focus on dealing with consequences rather than handling people who need extra attention. [3] For such people, it is worth finding an alternative place to stay for the winter period. [3] Koretsky stopped short of saying all residents in cities should leave before winter, calling that an extreme step, but suggested vulnerable people should relocate to avoid overloading emergency services. [3] Kyiv was without electricity and heating for weeks last winter due to Russian attacks on energy infrastructure when temperatures plunged to as low as -20C. [3]
Context of Persistent Drone Campaign
Russia has been deploying newer jet-powered drones that move faster and are harder to intercept than the traditional models based on Iranian Shahed drones. [3] Kyiv cultural sites, government buildings and schools have all been targeted before, according to Ukrainian authorities. [3] Zelenskyy last week renewed his appeal to Ukraine's Western allies to step up their military support, including for US-made Patriot interceptors capable of downing powerful ballistic missiles. [3] European defence ministers discussed whether the European Union needed its own NATO-style emergency mechanism to bolster coordination against hybrid attacks by Russia. [3]
What to watch next: Zelenskyy has renewed calls for Western air-defense support as Russia continues using faster jet-powered drones, while Ukrainian officials warn that vulnerable residents should consider alternative winter housing ahead of expected further strikes on energy infrastructure.
