On September 16, 2025, a Russian drone strike damaged buildings at the National University of Pharmacy in Kharkiv, Ukraine.

Videos released by the regional prosecutor’s office show the drone hitting a university administrative building, causing an explosion and subsequent fire. Local officials reported at least four civilian injuries. It was not clear whether they were affiliated with the university.

Scholars at Risk is concerned about military forces targeting higher education facilities in armed conflict. Parties to a conflict may only attack legitimate military targets; where a party suspects that a civilian facility — such as a university building — is being used for military purposes, that party has a duty to take every action practicable to verify that this suspicion is correct before initiating an attack. In the event of such an attack, parties must take all practicable precautions to avoid or minimize damage to civilian facilities. Further, parties must refrain from launching attacks which may be expected to cause disproportionate damage to civilian facilities.

Sources:
https://kyivindependent.com/russian-drone-strikes-kharkiv-university-in-broad-daylight-injuries-reported/
https://newsukraine.rbc.ua/news/russia-strikes-kharkiv-university-of-pharmacy-1758022449.html