Russian drones kill 7 in Kyiv, strike National Academy of Sciences

Russian drone strikes across Ukraine on Monday killed at least seven people and wounded more than 50 others, according to officials. The attacks targeted apartment buildings, offices, gas stations, data centers, and the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in downtown Kyiv, among other infrastructure across multiple cities.

A woman was killed in the strike on the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district on Monday afternoon. Staff members escaped the burning building by climbing down firefighters' ladders. Russian forces also struck pharmaceutical companies and gas stations in the capital. Outside Kyiv, a drone hit an office center in central Dnipro during working hours, killing three people and wounding at least 12 to 18. A nine-story apartment building in Kharkiv was struck, wounding 43 people including 11 children. Additional casualties were reported in Zaporizhzhia, Odesa, and Chernihiv.

Russia's Defense Ministry confirmed strikes on two data centers in Kyiv, gas stations, and a Nova Poshta distribution hub in Odesa. The military also hit cargo ships in the Black Sea and at the port of Chornomorsk, aimed at disrupting Ukraine's grain exports. Moscow claims it targets only military-related sites; Ukrainian officials characterize the attacks as a campaign of terror against civilians.

The strikes followed a week of diplomatic efforts at the United Nations aimed at advancing peace negotiations over Moscow's full-scale invasion that began 4½ years ago. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Monday that prospects for a swift peace settlement were bleak following recent Ukrainian attacks, including during Russian parliamentary elections. "Ukraine will have to pay a price for the actions that have taken place in recent months," Peskov told reporters. "That is happening right now." Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said the Russians were conducting a campaign of "pure terror" on civilians and that attacks had disrupted normal life in the city for over a week.

On the battlefield, Ukraine's Third Army Corps reported recapturing 51 square kilometers (20 square miles) of territory from Russian forces as part of Operation Vivaldi, bringing total gains to 176 square kilometers (68 square miles) since the offensive began several months ago. The corps converted Soviet-era BTR-60 armored vehicles into unmanned weapons to breach Russian fortifications and deployed ground robots in operations across the Donetsk region.