Russian drone hits Ukraine's historic science academy in Kyiv, killing two
A Russian drone struck the headquarters of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv on 28 September, killing at least two people.
The hit came in daytime during a working day, when staff were in the building. The Guardian reported the timing, while The Art Newspaper confirmed the deaths at the Academy.
The building sits on Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv. It dates to the 1850s. The classical-style premises, designed by architect Oleksandr Beretti, houses the Presidium, the Academy's governing headquarters, an institution founded in 1918 by scientist Volodymyr Vernadsky.
The Academy described the attack in a statement titled "Russian terror against Ukrainian science". Reuters reported that Russia used jet-powered drones, uncrewed aircraft fitted with jet engines for extra speed, in strikes across Ukraine that day. Ten people were killed in total across the country on 28 September, the agency said.
The Kyiv strike followed another deadly night. On 27 September, Russian drones set a market outside Kyiv ablaze, killing two people. Three other people died in separate Russian strikes that same day, according to Reuters.
The Academy building is the latest cultural property to be damaged in the war. The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in Paris had confirmed damage to 560 cultural sites across Ukraine as of 23 September. In June, a Russian attack damaged the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, a site listed by UNESCO for World Heritage protection because of its global importance, and the adjacent Mystetskyi Arsenal complex in the capital. In August, a Russian drone destroyed an 18th-century wooden Cossack church in the Kherson region in the south.
Ukraine's culture minister Tetyana Berezhna said Russian strikes have destroyed more than 13 million new Ukrainian books. After the Academy strike, foreign minister Andrii Sybiha called on UNESCO to strip Russia of its voice, voting rights and eligibility for election to governing or working bodies.
Science institutes have been hit before. The Academy said an earlier large missile and drone attack damaged roofs, cars and research property. Shelling on the night of 2 July caused significant damage to its O.V. Palladin Institute of Biochemistry in Kyiv, the Academy reported.
