Russian drone destroys Kvartal 95 studio warehouse in Kyiv

On the night of September 16, a Russian drone destroyed a warehouse belonging to the production company Kvartal 95 in the Sviatoshyn district of Kyiv.

The studio itself announced the incident; one of its co-founders is Volodymyr Zelensky.

The strike destroyed sets, costumes, and props accumulated over twenty years of work and used in the company’s concerts, TV shows, films, and series. No employees were injured.

“Russian weapons can destroy property. But they cannot stop us. We will continue to work, write new jokes, and help the defenders of Ukraine. All planned concerts will go ahead — with props or without,” Kvartal 95 said in a statement published on Facebook.

Photos released by the studio show the warehouse engulfed in flames and charred debris scattered across the floor. The warehouse contained physical artifacts spanning the company’s entire twenty-year history.

Zelensky co-founded Kvartal 95 in 2003 when he was working as a comedian. The studio produced some of Ukraine’s most popular television programs, including Servant of the People — a comedy series about a fictional president. After Moscow’s annexation of Crimea in 2014, Kvartal 95 ceased operations in Russia. Zelensky spent much of his early career in television, including work in Russia — among other things, he hosted a New Year’s program on Russian state television in 2013.

That same night, a warehouse belonging to the Olena Zelenska Foundation — the charitable organization headed by Ukraine’s first lady — was also destroyed. The foundation reported on social media that the building burned to the ground, but no one was injured. The warehouse had stored humanitarian aid — purchased or received from partners — intended for distribution among children, families, and institutions across Ukraine.

Ukraine’s State Emergency Service reported that one person was injured as a result of the drone strike on the warehouse in Kyiv’s Sviatoshyn district. Zelensky did not immediately comment on the strike.