Russian drone strike hits Ukraine’s science academy in central Kyiv

A Russian drone struck the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv on Monday, killing a woman and injuring at least three people, Ukrainian officials said.

The strike sparked a fire in the academy’s 19th-century building in the Shevchenkivskyi district. Firefighters used ladders to help staff escape as rescue crews searched for anyone who might remain inside. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the injured were taken to hospital.

Anatoliy Zagorodny, president of the academy, said many employees were in the building when it was hit. One of those injured was Volodymyr Horbulin, the academy’s first vice-president and a former senior Ukrainian security official, according to The Guardian.

The academy was among several sites hit during Russian attacks across Ukraine. Another drone struck a private medical center near the academy, killing at least one person, The Guardian reported. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said a pharmaceutical company and gas stations in Kyiv, a business center in Dnipro, and civilian and communications infrastructure elsewhere were also attacked.

Ukrainian officials reported at least seven deaths and more than 80 injuries nationwide on Monday, with casualties also reported in Dnipro, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia and Odesa. Moscow says its strikes target military-related sites, while Ukrainian officials accused Russia of deliberately attacking civilians and civilian infrastructure.