Harrowing footage has emerged of people trying to escape a burning building struck by a Russian drone.
Smoke and flames have engulfed the National Academy of Sciences building Kyiv, Ukraine, following the strike.
People are seen escaping from windows as flames rage inside.
One man managed to escape using a ladder.
Kyiv mayor Vitaliy Klitschko said on Telegram: ‘An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) has crashed into a non-residential building in the Shevchenkivskyi district, in the capital’s city centre.A fire has broken out.’
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According to the Kyiv Post, Oleksandr Sazanovych, head of the Shevchenkivskyi District State Administration, said on Telegram: ‘Unfortunately, there are injuries and fatalitiesAll emergency and relevant services are working at the site.I ask residents not to approach the scene and not to interfere with the work of the services.’
In a statement via the Defense of Ukraine, Ukrainian president Volodymyr Zelensky said: ‘A rescue operation is underway: crews are putting out the fire and searching for people who may have been trapped inside.
‘Today in Kyiv, a pharmaceutical company and gas stations were also attacked. In Dnipro, a business center, and in other cities and regions, civilian facilities, businesses and communications infrastructure were targeted as well.
‘Sadly, people will have been killed.
‘Russian will definitely face a response to this.And every one of Ukraine’s partners must see from this terror, from these strikes, that supporting Ukraine means truly supporting people’s lives – supporting the principle that terror must never be normalised, anywhere.Russia must be held accountable for all of this and face real consequences.’
Yesterday, two people were killed after a Russian drone hit a market in Sofiiska Borschahivka on the western outskirts of the city.
A child was among nine hurt in a separate attack.
Mr Zelensky described the attacks as ‘terrorism’.
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