Russian strikes hit Kyiv science academy as toll rises across Ukraine

A Russian strike set part of Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences ablaze in central Kyiv on Monday, killing two people, Ukrainian emergency officials said. Hours later, explosions shook the capital again as attacks continued across the country.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said early Tuesday that missile debris fell into one building’s courtyard and that another building caught fire elsewhere in the city. At the academy, video shared online appeared to show a fast-moving drone striking at a steep angle and exploding. Flames engulfed part of the building as people leaned out of windows.

The reported toll rose through Monday. CBS News reported at least seven people killed and more than 50 wounded in the bombardment, citing officials. In his nightly address, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said at least nine people had been killed and more than 80 wounded in drone strikes nationwide. CBS News had reported earlier that a woman died in the academy strike; Al Jazeera later reported that emergency officials put the toll there at two after a body was recovered from the rubble.

Volodymyr Horbulin, a former secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defence Council, told Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne that he was working at the academy when it was hit. His assistant, who was near the building, was killed, he said, and he was slightly wounded. The academy called the attack “Russian terror” and “barbarity” directed at people at work. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha urged Ukraine’s allies to send more air defences.

The strikes also hit a pharmaceutical company and petrol stations in Kyiv. In Dnipro, a drone hit an office centre during working hours, killing three people. CBS News reported at least 12 wounded there; Al Jazeera later reported 19, citing officials. Al Jazeera also reported one person killed at a logistics office in Synelnykove and 32 wounded in an attack on infrastructure in Zaporizhzhia. CBS News reported 43 wounded, including 11 children, at a nine-story apartment building in Kharkiv. It said drone attacks in the Kyiv region killed four people and wounded eight.

Zelenskyy said Ukraine was struggling to counter faster, high-flying Russian jet-powered drones. Of 120 drones fired on Monday, 90 were jet-propelled, he said, with an interception rate of 57% for that type. “New interceptors are being actively tested,” he said, adding that developers were working to improve their effectiveness.

Russia’s Defense Ministry said its forces struck two data centres and petrol stations in Kyiv, a postal distribution hub in Odesa and two cargo ships, one in the Black Sea and another in Chornomorsk port. Moscow says it targets only military-related sites. Both sides deny deliberately targeting civilians.

The attacks followed diplomatic efforts at the United Nations to advance negotiations. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov indicated Monday that a swift settlement was unlikely after recent Ukrainian attacks. “Ukraine will have to pay a price for the actions that have taken place in recent months,” he said. Zelenskyy, meanwhile, said Ukrainian long-range strikes hit two Russian defence plants and oil facilities in the Krasnodar region.