Russian drone strikes across Ukraine killed nine people and injured more than 80 on Monday, September 28, 2026, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskiy. In central Kyiv, a drone hit the National Academy of Sciences during the working day, killing at least two people and wounding others. Additional strikes targeted a business center in Dnipro, a medical facility in the capital, and communications infrastructure in several regions.
The attacks come as Russia increasingly deploys jet-powered drones, which fly faster and at higher altitudes than previous propeller-driven models. Zelenskiy reported that 90 of the 120 drones launched on Monday were jet-propelled, and Ukrainian air defenses intercepted 57% of the total. Ukrainian officials noted that Russia has shifted toward daylight attacks on economic and civilian targets, including data centers and telecommunications facilities.
At the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, emergency services recovered one victim from the rubble while firefighters rescued survivors from the upper floors of the burning 19th-century building. Academy President Anatoliy Zagorodny stated that staff members were inside at the time of the blast. In Dnipro, a strike on a business center killed three people and injured 19 others, while a separate attack in the Zaporizhzhia region injured 32 people. Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha requested additional air defense support from allies in response to the strikes.
The scale of the reported mobilization and regional deployment further impacts the conflict's scope. Zelenskiy cited intelligence reports indicating Russia has maintained 8,000 North Korean troops in the Kursk region with 10,000 more in training, while also recruiting more people for its military. In the Dnipro region, the economic impact is felt through the destruction of office spaces, directly affecting hundreds of employees who were present during the Monday afternoon strikes. Furthermore, drone activity near the Polish border prompted Warsaw to issue an alert for its eastern Lublin region.
Day-to-day life for residents now involves working through air raid alerts or seeking shelter during business hours, a change from previous patterns of primarily nocturnal bombardment. The Ukrainian government is currently testing new interceptors to counter the faster Geran-4 and Geran-5 jet drones, which can reach speeds of 600 km/h. While a specific date for improved defense deployment was not provided, Zelenskiy stated developers are working to reach "effectiveness and scale" as quickly as possible. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov stated that these strikes are a response to Ukrainian actions inside Russian territory.
In his address, Zelenskiy also reported that Ukraine struck two defense plants and oil facilities in Russia's Krasnodar region. Both the Russian and Ukrainian governments have stated they do not deliberately target civilians. Russian President Vladimir Putin dismissed reports of a new military mobilization as "utter nonsense." In Poland, military officials confirmed they monitored the threat to their border after a strike in western Ukraine.