Russian drone strike hits Rivne university, injuring dozens

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The strike hit a civilian educational institution in a western Ukrainian regional capital far from the front line, producing a large and evolving casualty count reported across multiple Ukrainian authorities. The near-total destruction of the Faculty of Music Arts building has rendered the university unfit for studies, and a war-crimes investigation has been opened under Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code. The incident illustrates the reach of jet-type (Shahed-class) drones against inland Ukrainian cities.

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On the morning of 13 October 2026, a Russian jet-type drone struck the Rivne State Humanitarian University in central Rivne. The Faculty of Music Arts building was almost completely burned out; the second floor and façade of the educational building were damaged. The fire was extinguished by rescuers, but the blast wave also damaged adjacent educational buildings, blowing out windows, and damaged parked cars and a mobile coffee shop nearby.

According to the head of the Rivne Oblast Military Administration, Oleksandr Koval, the casualty count rose through the day: 10 injured (one in serious condition) initially, then 14 (one in serious condition, three of moderate severity), and then 20. The National Police later reported 25 injured, with two in serious condition undergoing surgery and three more being examined by medics. The State Emergency Service (SES) reported a higher figure of 30 injured at one point. All students were in shelters at the time of the strike; injuries were among university administrative staff.

A pre-trial investigation was opened under Article 438 of Ukraine's Criminal Code (war crimes), with the SBU and police documenting the crime under the procedural guidance of the prosecutor's office. Education Minister Andriy Butenko reported the damage to the university and said the university is considering switching fully to distance learning until the end of the week. The damaged building is unfit for studies and requires reconstruction.

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All supplied sources are Ukrainian and in Ukrainian, with no international sources present for comparison. Coverage centres on official voices: the head of the Rivne Oblast Military Administration Oleksandr Koval, Education Minister Andriy Butenko, the State Emergency Service, the National Police, the SBU, the Air Force, and the city council. Reporting consistently attributes the strike to Russia. Ukrainian coverage emphasises the civilian, educational character of the target, the orderly evacuation (all students in shelters), injuries among administrative staff, the practical consequences (the university unfit for study, a possible switch to distance learning), and the opening of a war-crimes investigation under Article 438. Sources also place the strike in a wider pattern of near-continuous Russian drone and missile attacks on multiple Ukrainian regions that night, citing Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky.

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Sources diverge on the final casualty count. The OVA head gave successive figures of 10, 14, then 20. The National Police reported 20 and later 25, with three more being examined by medics and two in serious condition undergoing surgery. The State Emergency Service reported 21 (with two in unstable condition) and later 30. The condition of the most seriously wounded is also described differently: the OVA head said one person was in serious condition and three of moderate severity; the National Police said two injured people were in intensive care; the SES said two were in unstable condition.

الخلفية

Rivne is a regional capital in north-western Ukraine, more than 200 km from the nearest active front. Russian forces had already struck Rivne on the evening of 12 October. Earlier, on 9 October, a Russian attack on the Rivne region injured seven people including children; one of them, named Maksym, was reported to have died on 11 October. On 30 September, an explosion had been heard in Rivne in the morning after the Air Force reported a drone moving from Zhytomyr region toward Rivne. On 13 October, Ukraine's Air Force declared two drone-related air-raid alerts in Rivne district — overnight and in the morning — and reported a reactive UAV moving from Rivne region toward Volyn region. Prime Minister Serhiy Koretsky stated that from the night of 13 October Russian forces had been attacking multiple Ukrainian regions almost continuously. Russian leadership denies deliberately targeting Ukrainian civilian infrastructure; Ukrainian authorities and international organisations qualify such strikes as war crimes by the Russian Federation.