A Russian drone struck the National Academy of Sciences in central Kyiv, killing at least one woman and wounding six people, including former National Security and Defence Council secretary Volodymyr Gorbulin, whose assistant was killed [4][5][7]; later reports put the death toll at the academy at two [17][20]. The strike set the academy's 19th-century presidium building ablaze, destroying two floors and trapping staff inside [14][22][31]. The attack was part of a wave of strikes across multiple Ukrainian cities that killed at least nine people and injured more than 80 nationwide, with guided bombs hitting an apartment block in Kharkiv, glide bombs striking near a children's centre in Sumy, a business centre hit in Dnipro, and civilians wounded in Zaporizhzhia [2][4][20][23].
The academy's president, Anatoliy Zagorodny, said the institution is not connected with the military and called the strike “an attack on science” and “terrorism” [7]. The academy's press service said the building held only working documents and had no military or strategic value, calling it «Це російський терор» (This is Russian terror) [31]. An academy employee described hearing a «несамовитий гуркіт» (insane roar) as the drone hit while colleagues on the first floor were celebrating a birthday [30], and a scientist said he was thrown two meters into a corridor by the blast [33]. Ukraine's State Emergency Service said the building took a direct jet-drone hit around 1:30 pm and that there were no military targets in the vicinity [36].
Russia's Defence Ministry stated that its forces struck communications and logistics facilities, data centres belonging to Kyivstar and Omega Telecom, a Nova Poshta logistics hub, port infrastructure, and cargo vessels, asserting that every target served the Ukrainian army [2][3][10][15][19]. Russia has repeatedly denied intentionally targeting civilians [3][6]. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov said Ukraine “will have to pay a price” for strikes it has carried out inside Russian territory, and that this is happening now [7][28][40]. Russian state-aligned outlet Topcor.ru gave prominence to Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla's statement that the academy was a «бессодержательный остаток СССР» (meaningless remnant of the USSR) that should have been reformed or closed [35].
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched more than 2,200 attack drones, around 1,650 aerial bombs, and 38 missiles over the past week, and accused Moscow of sending false peace signals to delay international sanctions while escalating attacks [2][6][18][26]. Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told the UN General Assembly that Moscow intends to continue its military campaign “to the end” [2][6]. Zelenskyy said that of more than 2,730 jet-powered drones launched in September, only 55 percent were shot down, and that monthly Patriot missile deliveries were cut several times over, attributing the reduction to the war in the Middle East rather than funding [9][29]. The US Senate Armed Services Committee directed the Pentagon to assess the feasibility of increasing PAC-3 interceptor deliveries and report by October 1, while Lockheed Martin said it could not tell allies where they would fall on the allocation priority list [29].
European governments described a stepped-up Russian campaign of sabotage and interference against Ukraine's supporters, and EU defence ministers discussed whether the bloc needs its own NATO-style emergency mechanism to coordinate responses to hybrid attacks [4][7]. Poland's Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz confirmed a jet-powered drone struck Ukrainian territory about two kilometres from the Dorohusk-Jahodyn border crossing, and Poland's Deputy Defense Minister Cezary Tomczyk announced new radar-based engagement rules for objects entering from the direction of Russia [5][21]. The German Foreign Office condemned the academy strike, noting civilian casualties occurred near its embassy [5], and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said science has become a target for Russia [31].
On the battlefield, Ukraine's Third Corps said its Vivaldi offensive in northern Donetsk regained 125 square kilometres, killed over 3,000 Russian troops (other reports of the same offensive put Russian losses at more than 2,000, with over 250 prisoners taken [21]), and forced Russian fuel depots to relocate deeper into Russia [8][11]. Brigadier General Andriy Biletskyi said drones and unmanned ground vehicles advance ahead of infantry, and that the Third Corps is the first unit in the world to deploy unmanned ground systems from the air [8]. Zelenskyy said Ukrainian long-range strikes hit defense plants in Russia's Tula and Voronezh regions and oil facilities in Krasnodar [36], though the governor of Tula reported no drone alarm or damage in his region [15]. Analyst Luke Wickenden of the Centre for Research on Energy and Clean Air said Russian fuel exports are down by a third, equivalent to around 4 percent of the world's seaborne diesel and gasoil trade [21]. US President Donald Trump said he urged Zelenskyy to scale back attacks on Russian oil refineries amid record diesel prices [21].
A Kyiv resident, Luda Golovko, said she now lives with the fear of dying at any moment for the first time since the 2022 invasion, but intends to stay in Kyiv [9]. A September survey by the Kyiv International Institute of Sociology found that 77 percent of Ukrainians support continued armed resistance even if Russia destroys the energy grid [9]. In Kharkiv, more than 100 volunteers mobilized to seal shattered windows in 46 damaged buildings after a double strike injured 43 people including 11 children [23]. UN Humanitarian Coordinator Matthias Schmale condemned the attacks and demanded that civilians and civilian infrastructure be protected under international humanitarian law [14].
In Poland, a separate incident threatened bilateral relations when a Ukrainian man stabbed people at a convent in Jaroslaw, killing a priest and hospitalizing four [13]. A wounded priest, Father Adrian, urged Poles not to hold the attacker's nation responsible, while a Ukrainian House coordinator in Warsaw warned that a single incident can convince many Poles that Ukrainians are dangerous [13]. Both Zelenskyy and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk called for justice through the courts [13].
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called on UNESCO to strip Russia of voting and candidacy rights, and demanded more air-defense interceptors, harsher sanctions, and greater international pressure [32][37]. The Kyiv City Prosecutor's Office opened a pre-trial investigation into a war crime by the Russian military [11]. Zelenskyy said new interceptors are being actively tested and that Ukraine is speeding up developers, while Prime Minister Sergiy Koretsky urged citizens to prepare for a difficult winter, saying Ukraine is better prepared than last year but has no choice but to persevere [9][17].