One dead, says Ukraine's emergency service; at least two, says NewsMaker; Russian outlets report a fire with no attacker named

Drones hit the National Academy of Sciences building and the Dobrobut medical centre in central Kyiv on 28 September. Nine of the 12 reports we hold say Russia struck. Three Russian reports name no one. The death toll is not settled, and none of the dead is named.

LIVE TEXT/ O persoană a murit, iar alte șapte sunt rănite în urma atacului asupra Academiei de Științe din Ucraina. Război în Ucraina, ziua 1678 as published by Ziarul de Gardă · seen at Ziarul de Gardă

Russia & Eurasia Published 28 Sep 2026, 16:50 UTC Ukraine Russia

What happened. On 28 September a drone hit the National Academy of Sciences building in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district. Kyiv Post says a second Russian drone, which it calls "jet-powered", set the Dobrobut medical centre nearby on fire about an hour later.

The toll. Two reports give a number, and they differ:

Outlet	Dead	Injured	Who counted
Ziarul de Gardă	1	7, three of them children	Ukraine's emergency services
NewsMaker	"at least two"	"there are injured"	"Ukrainian media"

Who acted. Nine reports say Russian drones or Russian forces struck. RIA Novosti's headline says only that the Academy building "is on fire". Life.ru says a non-residential building "caught fire after a drone fell". A second Life.ru report calls it a fire and leads with a Ukrainian MP, Mariana Bezuhla, calling the Academy a "pointless Soviet relic".

What the building was. Ukrinform calls it a seven-storey "administrative building". Ukrainska Pravda calls it an "office building". Suspilne reports that scientists were killed and injured.

Not settled. - Whether one person died, or at least two. The two figures may count different moments of the day, and neither report says. - Who the dead are. Censor.NET quotes Valerii Zaluzhnyi: "people close to me died". No report names them. - Casualties at Dobrobut. No report we hold gives any.

What this is about. A daytime drone attack on two civilian buildings in the centre of Ukraine's capital: the headquarters of its national science academy and a private hospital.

How it got here. Russia and Ukraine have been at war since 2014. That year Russia annexed Crimea, and armed groups it backed took parts of Donetsk and Luhansk in the east. On 24 February 2022 Russia launched a full-scale invasion. Its forces tried to reach Kyiv and were pushed back that spring. Since then the front has run through the east and south, and both sides have struck deep behind it with missiles and drones. For Kyiv, that means regular air-raid alerts and strikes on the city itself. According to Ukrainska Pravda, 28 September was the second time that day that drones had hit the city centre.

The actors. Russia, whose forces Ukraine and most of the reports we hold say carried out the strike. Ukraine's emergency services, which gave the one official count we hold. The National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, founded in 1918, is the country's main state research body. It runs many of Ukraine's research institutes. Dobrobut is a private medical network in Kyiv. Valerii Zaluzhnyi, once commander-in-chief of Ukraine's armed forces and now its ambassador to the United Kingdom, told Censor.NET the Academy was his "second place of work".

What is at stake. Whether strikes on civilian institutions in the capital are recorded as attacks with a named attacker, or as fires with none. That choice shapes how millions of readers, in Russia and outside it, understand what happened.

Where it stands. On the evening of 28 September, rescuers were still working at the Academy, according to Ukraine's emergency services. The death toll had not been finally counted.

What is being argued about

How many people died: one according to Ukraine's emergency services, at least two according to NewsMaker
Whether Russia is named as the attacker: nine reports name it, while RIA Novosti and Life.ru describe a fire and a fallen drone
The second strike, on the Dobrobut medical centre
What the Academy building is called: administrative, office, or a 'Soviet relic'

Four accounts of one strikeSide by side

Outlet	What it says happened	Attacker named?	Dead
Ziarul de Gardă	attack on the Academy of Sciences; 'the Russians' also hit a medical unit	Yes: Russians	1 (emergency services)
NewsMaker	a Russian drone strike set the Academy on fire	Yes: Russian drone	at least 2 (Ukrainian media)
Kyiv Post	Russian drone hit the Academy; a jet-powered drone hit a medical centre	Yes: Russian	no figure
Ukrinform	Russian drone struck an administrative building	Yes: Russian	no figure
RIA Novosti	the Academy building 'is on fire'	No	no figure
Life.ru	a building caught fire 'after a drone fell'	No	no figure
Life.ru (second report)	a 'fire' at the Academy; an MP calls it a Soviet relic	No	no figure

What each report says hit the Academy, and who it says acted. Measured from the published text; this is not a rating of any outlet.

Sources Z Ziarul de Gardă N NewsMaker K Kyiv Post U Ukrinform R RIA Novosti L Life.ru L Life.ru

Claims and verdicts

disputed The drone strike on the National Academy of Sciences building in Kyiv killed at least two people.

NewsMaker, citing Ukrainian media at 13:22 UTC, reported at least two dead. Ziarul de Gardă's 16:45 local update quotes Ukraine's emergency services as saying one person died and seven were injured, three of them children.

Checked against 2 sources:

N NewsMaker Z Ziarul de Gardă

true A drone also hit the Dobrobut medical centre in central Kyiv on 28 September and set it on fire.

The Kyiv Post cites its own correspondent. Ukrainska Pravda cites eyewitness footage, and Censor.NET, NewsMaker and Ziarul de Gardă also report the strike on Dobrobut, so the accounts do not come from one source.

Checked against 6 sources:

K Kyiv Post U Ukrainska Pravda U Ukrainska Pravda C Censor.NET N NewsMaker Z Ziarul de Gardă

true The drone that hit the Academy of Sciences was Russian.

The Kyiv Post, Censor.NET, Suspilne and NewsMaker all say the drone was Russian. Life.ru writes only that a drone fell and RIA Novosti only that the building is burning; neither names who acted, and neither says otherwise.

Checked against 6 sources:

K Kyiv Post C Censor.NET S Suspilne N NewsMaker L Life.ru R RIA Novosti

Who wrote it

M Munteanu Gabriela Ziarul de Gardă

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Actor named Ties the shell to Russian attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure, citing the Border Police.×1

Attribution The injured count is attributed to the mayor, through a news agency.×1

Attribution sabotage charge attributed to Estonia×1

Casualty count one dead and seven injured, children counted separately; no one named×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

2 disputed3 unverified4 true

From 371 reports we hold under this byline, at Ziarul de Gardă. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

Т Татьяна Миссуми Life.ru

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Asserted not attributed Says in its own voice that most drones were destroyed. The mayor's name comes only in the next sentence.×1

Asserted versus attributed Russian official's claim stated flat before it is attributed×1

Claim stated before attribution the report's opening sentence states Medvedev's warning as fact and names him in the next sentence×1

Claim stated flat The lede states the launch and the interceptions as fact. The mayor is named only in the third sentence.×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 false1 misleading7 unverified4 true

From 1197 reports we hold under this byline, at Life.ru. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

Г Ганна Цьомик Suspilne

No independent reading has coded a report under this byline yet. We do not infer a journalist's views from the outlet that employs them.

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 true

From 175 reports we hold under this byline, at Suspilne. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

В Вера Балахнова NewsMaker

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Attribution the ministry's account of the cause is given, with attribution×1

Casualty count at least two dead, a higher figure than the other report that gives a toll; attributed to Ukrainian media×1

Cause supplied three regional crises given as the reason; none of the three is identified in the text we hold×1

Death toll 'at least two dead' stated flat, no source for the figure×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 disputed2 unverified3 true

From 270 reports we hold under this byline, at NewsMaker. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

Р РИА Новости RIA Novosti

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Actor named no attacker named; the channels only 'said' there were failures×1

Actor named the outage is reported with no actor named×1

Actor named 'the West' is named as acting, attributed to the foreign ministry spokeswoman×1

Actor named headline names Ukraine's armed forces as the attacker×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

2 false2 misleading5 disputed38 unverified12 true

From 26630 reports we hold under this byline, at RIA Novosti, Regnum. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

А Анастасия Никонорова Life.ru

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Asserted or attributed the outlet states the invitation stands rather than quoting it×1

Asserted or attributed one unnamed source's account opens as flat fact, with the sourcing held back to the next sentence×1

Asserted vs attributed The five-to-seven-year range is given as one lawyer's view, not as fact.×1

Assertion the charge is stated as the name of the case, not attributed to investigators×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 false1 disputed4 unverified3 true

From 1368 reports we hold under this byline, at Life.ru. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

А Альона Мазуренко Ukrainska Pravda

What the bias passes found in their reporting

An adverb that assigns intent "accidentally" added to the drones' arrival, and the jamming dropped×1

Headline claims more than the body the headline names Slovakia and France as blocking; the body we hold names neither×1

Headline versus body headline blames Slovakia and France; the lede does not carry it×1

Hedged the body leaves the outcome open for later that day×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

1 misleading4 unverified2 true

From 213 reports we hold under this byline, at Ukrainska Pravda. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

A Alona Mazurenko Ukrainska Pravda

What the bias passes found in their reporting

Both actors named, finding attributed origin and redirect are given together and sourced to the investigating state×1

The measure that is given only one report gives how many drones and when×1

What is stated flat both halves — Ukrainian origin and Russian jamming — asserted as confirmed, with no quoted official×1

Who is named as acting two actors named in one sentence: one supplies the drones, the other moves them×1

Claims we checked that rest on their reporting

3 unverified1 true

From 172 reports we hold under this byline, at Ukrainska Pravda. Two independent readings, each made without the masthead, a quote attached to every tag. A record, never a rating. Their full record →

The bylines on the reports this story is built from. Hover one for what our passes have measured on their reporting. · 4 reports we hold carry no byline — we do not invent one.

Coverage, outlet by outlet

Z Ziarul de Gardă —

LIVE TEXT/ O persoană a murit, iar alte șapte sunt rănite în urma atacului asupra Academiei de Științe din Ucraina. Război în Ucraina, ziua 1678

The only report whose toll comes from an official source: Ukraine's emergency services, one dead and seven injured, three of them children.

Principală — Ştiri — Extern — LIVE TEXT/ O persoană a… LIVE TEXT O persoană a murit, iar alte șapte sunt rănite în urma atacului asupra Academiei de Științe din Ucraina. Război în Ucraina, ziua 1678 Sursa: Telegram/ ДСНС України Redacția ZdG 39.84 mii de articole UPDATE 16:45 Serviciile de urgență ale Ucrainei anunță că lucrează în continuare la Kiev, la locul atacului asupra clădirii Academiei de Științe. Urmărește ZdG în Google News Adaugă ZdG ca sursă preferată „Din păcate, până în prezent, o persoană a murit și alte șapte au fost rănite, inclusiv trei copii. În această după-amiază, rușii a

Death toll: one dead, seven injured including three children, attributed to emergency services — “o persoană a murit și alte șapte au fost rănite, inclusiv trei copii”

Casualty count: one dead and seven injured, children counted separately; no one named — “o persoană a murit și alte șapte au fost rănite, inclusiv trei copii”

Read it at Ziarul de Gardă → https://www.zdg.md/stiri/live-text-o-persoana-a-murit-iar-alte-sapte-su…

L Life.ru —

Мощный взрыв произошёл в самом центре Киева

Says a non-residential building caught fire 'after a drone fell', and credits the report of a 'powerful explosion' to Financial Times correspondent Christopher Miller.

Украинское издание «Страна.ua» уточнило, что дым был виден со стороны Золотых ворот. Позже мэр Киева Виталий Кличко сообщил о пожаре в нежилом здании, что именно там располагалось станет известно из сводки Минобороны. Ранее также сообщалось, что здание Национальной академии наук Украины горит в Киеве. Судя по сообщениям в Сети, из окон верхних этажей валит дым, видны языки пламени. Официальные сводки и главные события в зоне боевых действий — в разделе «СВО» на Life.ru.

Who is named as acting: no actor named: the drone 'fell' and a building 'caught fire' — “после падения беспилотника загорелось нежилое здание”

Who is named as acting: no actor named: the drone 'fell' and a building caught fire — “после падения беспилотника загорелось нежилое здание”

Read it at Life.ru → https://life.ru/p/moschnyy-vzryv-proizoshel-v-samom-tsentre-kieva

S Suspilne — public-service

Харківські виші висловили солідарність із НАН після російського удару 28 вересня

Kharkiv's Karazin University and the Kharkiv Polytechnic Institute mourn scientists killed and injured.

Харківський національний університет імені В. Н. Каразіна та Національний технічний університет «Харківський політехнічний інститут» висловили солідарність з Національною академією наук після російського удару 28 вересня по Києву, внаслідок якого загинули щонайменше двоє академіків і є поранені. Про це пресслужби вишів написали на своїх сторінках у Facebook. «Щирі співчуття рідним і близьким тих, чиї життя забрала ця атака. Сил і якнайшвидшого одужання всім постраждалим. Немає слів, що можуть пояснити чи виправдати цей терор. Каразінський університет солідарний із колегами з Національної акаде

Read it at Suspilne → https://suspilne.media/kharkiv/1414280-harkivski-visi-vislovili-solidar…

C Censor.NET —

Рашисти атакували будівлю медзакладу в центрі Києва, потрібно відповідати на цей терор, - Зеленський. ФОТОрепортаж

Carries Zelensky's call to respond to the attack on the Dobrobut medical facility.

Російські війська вдень 28 вересня атакували безпілотниками будівлю медичного закладу "Добробут" в центрі Києва.

Read it at Censor.NET → https://censor.net/ua/news/4025626/zelenskyyi-pidtverdyv-udar-po-dobrob…

N NewsMaker —

(ВИДЕО) Российский удар по центру Киева: Горит здание Академии наук, есть погибшие

Gives 'at least two' dead, credited to Ukrainian media, and describes video of people escaping the burning building through its windows.

В центре Киева в результате удара российского дрона загорелось здание Национальной академии наук Украины. Как сообщают украинские СМИ, в результате атаки есть раненые. Известно как минимум о двух погибших. Еще один удар пришелся по зданию медицинского центра «Добробут». На видео, публикуемых в соцсетях видно, что в момент взрыва в здании находились люди. Они пытались выбраться из горящего здания через окна. Примерно в 300 метрах от академии наук […] The post (ВИДЕО) Российский удар по центру Киева: Горит здание Академии наук, есть погибшие appeared first on NewsMaker.

Death toll: 'at least two dead' stated flat, no source for the figure — “Известно как минимум о двух погибших”

Casualty count: at least two dead, a higher figure than the other report that gives a toll; attributed to Ukrainian media — “Известно как минимум о двух погибших.”

Read it at NewsMaker → https://newsmaker.md/ru/video-rossiiskii-udar-po-czentru-kieva-gorit-zd…

R RIA Novosti — state-controlled

В Киеве горит здание Национальной академии наук

A headline only: the Academy building 'is on fire', with no drone and no attacker.

Read it at RIA Novosti → https://ria.ru/20260928/pozhar-2120738632.html

U Ukrinform — state-controlled

Russian UAV strikes seven-story administrative building in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district

Gives the building as seven storeys and administrative, in the Shevchenkivskyi district.

Russian UAV strikes seven-story administrative building in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district 28.09.2026 16:16 Ukrinform A Russian drone has struck an administrative building in Kyiv's Shevchenkivskyi district. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko reported this on Telegram, according to Ukrinform. "In the Shevchenkivskyi district, a seven-story administrative building was hit at the level of the fourth floor. Emergency services are heading to the site," Klitschko wrote. Read also: Russian strike on business center in Dnipro: Injury toll rises to 15, three dead As reported, one person was killed and five i

Read it at Ukrinform → https://www.ukrinform.net/rubric-ato/4168842-russian-uav-strikes-sevens…

L Life.ru —

«Бессмысленный пережиток СССР»: Безуглая прошлась по погорельцам из Академии наук Украины

Leads with Ukrainian MP Mariana Bezuhla calling the Academy a 'pointless Soviet relic', and calls the people hit fire victims.

По словам парламентария, украинские академики за годы конфликта не внесли необходимого вклада в развитие противовоздушной обороны. Она связала произошедшее с неспособностью научного сообщества, по её оценке, перестроиться под потребности страны. «Академики НИЧЕГО не сделали для развития ПВО, сидя в своей «пузырьковой» изоляции», — написала Безуглая. Депутат также назвала произошедшее «причудливой, печальной кармой». Пожар в здании академии в центре Киева возник 28 сентября. Ранее Life.ru рассказывал, как Безуглая критиковала работу украинской ПВО, утверждая, что она сбивает собственные самолёт

What the event is called: the strike is called a fire and the story is a deputy's attack on the damaged institution — “Так она прокомментировала пожар в здании НАН в Киеве 28 сентября.”

Whose voice leads: a Ukrainian MP dismissing the Academy is the only voice given — “назвав её «бессмысленным пережитком СССР»”

Framing of the event: the strike is called a fire and the people hit are called fire victims; no attacker is named — “Так она прокомментировала пожар в здании НАН в Киеве 28 сентября.”

Read it at Life.ru → https://life.ru/p/bessmyslennyy-perezhitok-sssr-bezuglaya-proshlas-po-p…

U Ukrainska Pravda — independent

Росіяни знову вдарили по центру Києва: є влучання, вирує пожежа у "Добробуті"

Calls it the second attack on central Kyiv that day. Cites the mayor on a hit to an administrative building, and uses 'occupiers' in its own voice.

Російські окупанти 28 вересня вдруге атакували центр столиці безпілотниками. Міський голова повідомив про влучання в адмінбудівлю, очевидці публікують кадри пожежі в лікарні "Добробут". Джерело: мер Віталій Кличко у соцмережах Пряма мова Кличка: "У Шевченківському районі влучання в 7-поверхову адміністративну будівлю на рівні 4 поверху. Деталі: Загалом, за словами Кличка, 28 вересня в Києві, внаслідок атак ворога постраждали вже 19 людей. Зокрема, троє дітей. Одна жінка загинула. 6 поранених медики госпіталізували, в тому числі – двох дітей. Водночас, очевидці публікують відео пожежі у лікарні

Label for the attacker: Russian forces named as actor with the charged word 'occupiers' — “Російські окупанти 28 вересня вдруге атакували центр столиці безпілотниками”

Label for the actor: loaded label 'occupiers' used in the report's own voice — “Російські окупанти 28 вересня вдруге атакували центр столиці безпілотниками”

Read it at Ukrainska Pravda → https://www.pravda.com.ua/news/2026/09/28/8055414/

U Ukrainska Pravda — independent

Russians strike central Kyiv again: office building hit, hospital catches fire

Russian drones attacked central Kyiv for the second time on 28 September. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko has reported a strike on an office building, while eyewitnesses have posted videos showing a fire at the Dobrobut hospital. Source: Vitali Klitschko on social media Quote: "In the Shevchenkivskyi district, a seven-storey office building has been hit at the level of the third floor." Details: Klitschko said that a total of 19 people have been injured in Russian attacks on Kyiv on 28 September, including three children. One woman was killed. Six people, including two children, were taken to hosp

Read it at Ukrainska Pravda → https://www.pravda.com.ua/eng/news/2026/09/28/8055414/

K Kyiv Post —

Medical Center in Central Kyiv on Fire After Russian Jet-Powered Drone Attack

Its own correspondent reports a 'jet-powered' Russian drone hitting a medical centre about an hour after the Academy strike.

In brief: A medical center in central Kyiv caught fire after being targeted by a Russian jet-powered drone on Sept. 28, according to a Kyiv Post correspondent. The attack came about an hour after another Russian drone hit the National Academy of Sciences building nearby. Make us preferred on Google Flip Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied (Photo by Sergii Kostezh / Kyiv Post) Content Share Facebook X (Twitter) LinkedIn Bluesky Email Copy Copied Flip Make us preferred on Google A Russian drone targeted a medical center operated by Dobrobut Academy near Kyiv’s Olimpiisk

Read it at Kyiv Post → https://www.kyivpost.com/post/85583

C Censor.NET —

"Загинули близькі мені люди": Залужний прокоментував удар РФ по Національній академії наук. ФОТОрепортаж

Quotes Zaluzhnyi: 'people close to me died', and calls the Academy his 'second place of work'.

Будівля Національної академії наук України, по якій росіяни завдали удару 28 вересня, була "другим місцем роботи" для ексголовнокомандувача ЗСУ та посла у Великій Британії Валерія Залужного.

Naming the dead: deaths mentioned through a public figure's grief; the dead are not named — “Загинули близькі мені люди”

Read it at Censor.NET → https://censor.net/ua/news/4025617/zalujnyyi-vidreaguvav-na-udar-rf-po-…

Checked, didn’t cover

M Meduza T The Moscow Times I Interfax M Mediazona N Novaya Gazeta Europe T TASS

Silence is recorded, not inferred — each of these was read when we built this story and carried nothing on this event.

Read another desk

Sections

Registers

Desks

One dead, says Ukraine's emergency service; at least two, says NewsMaker; Russian outlets report a fire with no attacker named

What is being argued about

Nine reports name Russia as the attacker; three name no one

Two death tolls, and none of the dead named

Claims and verdicts

Who wrote it

Coverage, outlet by outlet