A Russian drone struck the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in the heart of Kyiv on Monday, September 28, setting the building on fire in broad daylight, according to Ukrainian officials. The academy's press service said the drone hit the building directly in the capital's Shevchenkivskyi district, and images from the scene reportedly showed people climbing out onto window ledges to escape the flames. Kyiv's city military administration said one woman was killed and three people were injured, though the figures may change as the search continues. President Volodymyr Zelensky said a rescue operation is underway, with crews putting out the fire and searching for anyone who may be trapped inside, and that all emergency services have been deployed.

Zelensky said the academy was not the only civilian target hit today, noting that a pharmaceutical company and gas stations were attacked in Kyiv, a business center was struck in Dnipro, and civilian facilities, businesses, and communications infrastructure were also targeted in other cities and regions. Ukrainian media reported that four people were injured in the Dnipro strike. Zelensky said people have been killed, offered condolences to their families, and vowed that Russia will face a response. He also urged Ukraine's partners to see that supporting Ukraine means protecting people's lives and that terror must never be normalized anywhere, adding that Russia must be held accountable. The academy, founded in 1918 and first led by scientist Volodymyr Vernadsky, is one of the country's oldest scientific institutions, and the details here come from Ukrainian officials and media, as no Russian comment appeared in early reports.