"She had taste in everything": assistant to ex-defence council secretary killed in Kyiv strike on Academy of Sciences
Nataliia Bukalo, an assistant to Volodymyr Horbulin, former secretary of Ukraine's National Security and Defence Council, has been killed in a Russian drone strike on a building belonging to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv.
Source: Oleksandra Liashenko in a comment to Ukrainska Pravda.Zhyttia (Life); Ukrainian public broadcaster Suspilne; BBC News Ukraine
Details: "I still can't process this: I just called a colleague who works in that very building, hoping, of course, to hear her voice, but instead I heard over the phone: 'This is her husband, she has been killed'," said Nataliia's colleague Oleksandra.
Screenshot: Oleksandra Liashenko on Facebook
Nataliia is survived by her husband and daughter.
"Nataliia really loved order. She had it in everything – from documents to logs of phone calls, conversations and schedules. And that order had style. She had a special sense of taste in everything – everything had to not just be in its place, but also look elegant. And she did it so well," Oleksandra recalled. "She had such a wonderful nature. Nataliia knew how to work very fast and organise processes."
Horbulin confirmed in a comment to Suspilne that his assistant, who had been near the building, was killed. Volodymyr himself was at his workplace and sustained a minor injury.
Two sources confirmed to BBC News Ukraine that Horbulin, who serves as Vice President of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, had been injured.
"The strike hit the room one floor above his office. Volodymyr Pavlovych [Horbulin] is already at home; he sustained minor injuries from shattered glass," an informed source said.
Background:
On the afternoon of 28 September, a Russian drone struck a building belonging to the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine in Kyiv.
According to Education and Science Minister Andrii Butenko, one person was killed and others were injured in the strike.
This story is developing, we'll bring you the latest updates as they happen.
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