Russian drone strikes Ukraine’s National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, killing two and damaging historic headquarters

A Russian drone struck the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in central Kyiv on Sept. 28, sparking a fire and damaging the building during working hours. Two people were killed and six others were injured in the attack.

One of those killed was Nataliia Bukalo, an assistant to Volodymyr Horbulin, vice president of the Academy and former secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council. The body of the second victim was found under the rubble during rescue operations.

Horbulin confirmed that he was at work when the attack occurred. His assistant was near the building when she was killed. The drone struck a room one floor above Horbulin’s office. He sustained minor injuries from shattered glass and later returned home.

Ukrainian philosopher and author Vakhtang Kebuladze, who was working nearby at the Red Building of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv when the strike occurred, described the force of the explosion.

“The impact was very powerful, the thick walls shook. Then came the smoke and stench,” Kebuladze wrote. “On my way home from work, I passed the building destroyed by the Russians and thought with horror and boundless sorrow about my colleagues who had died there — they, like me, had come to work at an academic institution that morning. I am nearby. They are here. I am going home, they will never return.”

The damaged building dates to the 19th century and was designed by architect Oleksandr Beretti. Originally used as a boarding school for girls, it became associated with the Ukrainian Academy of Sciences in 1919 and now houses its Presidium. The site is protected as an architectural monument.

The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine was established in Kyiv on Nov. 27, 1918, with scientist Volodymyr Vernadsky serving as its first president. Today, it is Ukraine’s highest self-governing scientific organization.

The Sept. 28 strike was the latest in a series of Russian attacks to damage the Academy’s institutions. As of March 2026, more than 300 properties belonging to the National Academy of Sciences had been damaged or destroyed since the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion.

As reported earlier, another Russian attack on Kyiv damaged the Taras Shevchenko Institute of Literature of the National Academy of Sciences, including its library, book repositories, and most of its research departments.

Main photo: Suspilne