Russian drone attacks across Ukraine killed nine people and injured more than 80 on Monday, September 28, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said in an evening update. Strikes hit Kyiv, Dnipro, Odesa and other regions during a day of sustained aerial attacks. The figures were reported by Ukrainian authorities and could change as rescue work continues.
In central Kyiv, a jet-powered drone struck the National Academy of Sciences, setting part of the building on fire. Zelenskyy said an assistant to academy official Volodymyr Horbulin was killed and Horbulin was injured. The president said rescuers were still searching for one person beneath the rubble when he gave his update. The Guardian reported that staff escaped through windows using firefighters' ladders.
The attacks also hit a business center in Dnipro and an apartment building in Odesa, according to Zelenskyy. The Associated Press reported casualties at the Dnipro site and damage to civilian sites elsewhere, including a residential building in Kharkiv. It said local officials had reported more than 80 wounded across the country earlier in the day, before the president raised the reported death toll from seven to nine.
Zelenskyy said Russia had launched more than 120 drones during the day, including 90 jet-powered models. Those figures refer to daytime attacks and are separate from Ukraine's air force report of 165 drones launched overnight from September 27 to 28. The president said Ukraine's overall interception rate was 70 percent, but only 57 percent for the faster jet-powered drones, and said new interceptors were being tested. These are Ukrainian government figures that have not been independently verified.
Russia's Defense Ministry said it had struck data centers and gas stations in Kyiv, according to the Associated Press; Moscow says it targets military-related facilities. The attacks followed diplomatic efforts at the United Nations to advance talks on ending Russia's invasion. Zelenskyy said his government would seek more defense funding from partners, while rescue teams continued to assess the damage and search for people affected by Monday's strikes.
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