The National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv was hit by a Russian drone, turning the historic building into a blazing shell of ash and smoke.
Mayor Vitaliy Klitschko confirmed that the strike killed one person and left three others wounded, making it the latest civilian casualty in the ongoing conflict.
Video footage shows residents leaping from windows to escape the fire, while firefighters struggled to keep the flames from spreading further.
BBC diplomatic correspondent Paul Adams was present as emergency teams worked to extinguish the blaze and rescue those trapped inside.
