‘Like Spider‑Man’: 69‑Year‑Old Scientist Climbs To Safety After Drone Sets Historic Kyiv Building Ablaze

Ihor Malchevsky, 69, a deputy department head at Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences, escaped a Russian drone strike on his third‑floor office in central Kyiv by clambering onto an exterior ledge and later descending a rescue ladder as flames and thick smoke poured from the historic building.

The ornate, yellow Tsarist‑era building — located just steps from the National Opera and the German embassy — was hit on Monday. Footage of Malchevsky and a colleague trapped on the facade has intensified public outrage over a recent spate of strikes on civilian and commercial infrastructure across Ukraine.

Ihor Malchevsky, 69, a Ukrainian scientist, who survived yesterday’s Russian jet drone strike by escaping through a window of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences building, shows burns on his hands during an interview with Reuters, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv region, Ukraine, September 29, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko

Moments Of Chaos And Survival

"The first seconds you don't understand — then the mind switches on and begins analysing what happened," Malchevsky told Reuters in an interview at his home outside Kyiv the day after the attack. Below his window, sirens and car alarms wailed while bystanders shouted and flames raced through the building.

Despite a fear of heights, Malchevsky focused on his family — his wife, two adult children and seven grandchildren — and climbed onto a ledge to escape the smoke. Rescuers later leaned a ladder against the facade and helped him down to the pavement, where he sat stunned and drank water to clear his throat of soot.

A combination picture shows a man climbing out of a window to escape from a burning building of the Ukrainian National Academy of Sciences, and being assisted by rescuers after evacuating, after the building was hit by a Russian jet-powered drone strike, amid Russia's attack on Ukraine, in Kyiv, Ukraine, September 28, 2026. REUTERS/Alina Smutko/Gleb Garanich/Thomas Peter TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY

"What is all this for?" — his daughter, Kateryna Moskaliuk, reflecting the frustration of many Ukrainians after more than four years of war.

Broader Context

Monday's strike killed one person and wounded several others. Reuters and Ukrainian officials say Russia has recently expanded its campaign to target consumer logistics, businesses and data centres, while Ukraine has responded with attacks on oil and defence infrastructure inside Russia and other strategic targets.

The strikes on central Kyiv have increasingly used jet‑propelled daytime drones designed to overwhelm air defences. Officials warn Ukrainians to brace for further attacks on energy infrastructure this coming winter amid dwindling supplies of critical air‑defence systems.

Malchevsky's grandchildren joked that he looked like 'Spider‑Man' after seeing the footage online. He urged Ukraine to continue resisting to weaken Russia, calling renewed diplomatic efforts 'a senseless exercise' despite U.S. officials describing talks between a Russian envoy and American counterparts as 'constructive.'

Reporting by Dan Peleschuk; additional reporting and editing by Daniel Flynn and Mike Collett‑White.