Drone strike hits Kyiv science academy as rescuers search building
A Russian drone hit a building of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv on Monday, killing at least one person and injuring three, according to Mayor Vitali Klitschko's account reported by Reuters. Ukrainian Pravda also reported a fire at the academy. The incident is separate from the attacks across Ukraine reported on Sunday.
What matters
The strike reached a major research institution in central Kyiv while staff were inside. The immediate questions are whether everyone has been accounted for and how much of the academy was damaged; the motive for this specific hit has not been established.
The academy's director, Anatoly Zagorodny, told a Guardian reporter at the site that several workers might still be inside or unaccounted for. He said many staff members had been in the building when the blast struck. Firefighters briefly paused their work during another drone alert, according to the Guardian. The number of people missing had not been established by rescuers in the reports available when this article was published.
The strike damaged a leading Ukrainian research institution as the capital faced another day of aerial attacks. Ukrainian officials blamed Russia; the motive for hitting this particular building has not been independently established. The confirmed casualty count is provisional while emergency teams search and authorities assess the scene.
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