On April 15, 2026, Russian drone attacks damaged the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technology (USUST) and Dnipro Polytechnic University.

The strike on USUST destroyed the roof, load-bearing walls, and interior partitions of the main building. The Educational and Scientific Institute also sustained significant roof damage, with blast waves shattering its windows and doors. At Dnipro Polytechnic, two buildings were damaged, one of which was a site of national historical significance. Media reports indicated that two people were injured.

Photographs show significant damage to both campuses, with broken windows and debris cluttering hallways and classrooms.

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://censor.net/en/photonews/3610664/strike-on-dnipro-two-universities-damaged-people-injured
https://mezha.net/eng/bukvy/russian_strike_damaged-8/