Russian Drone Reportedly Hits National Academy of Sciences Building in Central Kyiv, Sparks Fire

[UPDATED: Sept. 28, 2:37 pm , Kyiv time. Updated with Zelensky’s reaction to the strike on the Academy of Sciences.] A Russian drone struck the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv on Monday, Sept. 28, sparking a fire and killing people, Ukrainian officials said. Initially, Kyiv Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko reported that Russian forces had struck a nonresidential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, sparking a fire.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. “An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has crashed into a non-residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, in the capital’s city center. A fire has broken out,” Klitschko said in a Telegram post. The Ukrainian monitoring channel Exilenova+ reported that the building struck was the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Local Telegram channels reported seeing a large column of black smoke rising over the city. Some channels also claimed that people remained inside the burning building and that residents were attempting to escape through windows. These reports have not yet been independently verified. Oleksandr Sazanovych, head of the Shevchenkivskyi District State Administration, said on Telegram that he was at the scene of the strike. “Unfortunately, there are injuries and fatalities. All emergency and relevant services are working at the site. I ask residents not to approach the scene and not to interfere with the work of the services,” he wrote, adding that the information was being verified. Sazanovych did not specify the exact location of the impact, but he published several photos clearly showing that the building is part of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Prepares for Worst-Case Scenario as Russia Targets Internet Infrastructure Between Sept. 23-25, Russian forces carried out a series of attacks on Ukrainian data centers, including those operated by UTELS, MiroHost, and DATAGROUP, as well as other communications infrastructure. Moreover, Ukrainian outlet Ukrinform has published footage showing rescuers assisting victims at the site of a Russian drone strike. Meanwhile, Telegram channels are reporting one fatality so far, although local authorities have not yet released official casualty figures. Later, President Volodymyr Zelensky has responded to the Russian strike, confirming that the damaged building belongs to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. “A rescue operation is currently underway; the fire is being extinguished, and a search is being conducted for people who might have been inside the building. All services have been deployed,” he wrote. Zelensky added that a pharmaceutical company and gas stations were attacked in Kyiv on Monday, along with a business center in Dnipro and civilian facilities, enterprises and communications infrastructure in other cities and regions. “Unfortunately, there are fatalities... My condolences to their families and loved ones. There will certainly be a response to Russia for this,” he wrote. “And every one of Ukraine’s partners must see – from this terror and these strikes – that support for Ukraine is truly support for human life, and support for the principle that terror must never and nowhere be normalized,” Zelensky added. He stressed that Russia must be held accountable for the attacks and face real consequences. The story is developing and will be updated as more information becomes available. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.