The building of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences after the drone strike on September 28 is to be conserved before the cold weather. This was reported by First Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine Viacheslav Bohdanov in an interview with Ukrainian media, UNN reports.
Details
According to Bohdanov, the consequences of the strike proved to be more extensive than the immediate area of destruction. While the fire was being extinguished, water entered the premises through the damaged roof.
It is currently known that almost 40% of the premises—900 square meters out of the building’s total area of 2,350 square meters—were damaged. Due to the consequences of extinguishing the fire, part of the rooms that survived also cannot currently be used.
The building is old, with wooden floors, lath, and plaster, so after getting wet, some structures began to collapse and peel away. Because of this, it is currently impossible to work even in some of the rooms that were not directly affected by the fire
He added that the Kyiv Emergency and Rescue Service is currently completing the dismantling of the most dangerous structures. NAS employees are also helping clear the premises. After the priority emergency work is completed, they plan to remove construction debris and damaged elements, and then begin conserving the surviving parts of the building.
The NAS emphasizes that this work must be carried out before the onset of cold weather in order to prevent further destruction of the structure due to precipitation and low temperatures. At the same time, the cost of the work, the contractor, and the exact timeframe for the building’s full restoration have not yet been announced.
Context
On September 28, at around 1:30 p.m., a Russian jet-powered drone struck the building of the Presidium of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine at 54 Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv. As a result of the attack, structures between the second and third floors were partially destroyed, after which a fire broke out over an area of approximately 900 square meters.
Two people were killed and seven others were injured in the strike. Among those killed was Natalia Bukalo, an employee of the NAS Presidium.
Despite the damage, the NAS Presidium held its regular meeting on September 30 and announced that it would continue its work.