Prominent neurobiologist Ihor Zyma and doctor of biological sciences Olesia Sokur were a married couple working for the Taras Shevchenko National University.
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Russian attack on the Ukrainian capital on the first day of the new year, which left two dead and six injured, killed a married couple of notable scientists, authorities said.
According to Education Minister Oksen Lisovyi, neurobiologist Ihor Zyma and his wife, biologist Olesia Sokur, died in their home in Kyiv's Pecherskyi district in an apparent drone strike.
"The family dedicated almost their entire lives to science, working for many years at the Institute of Biology and Medicine of Taras Shevchenko Kyiv National University," Lisovyi wrote on his Facebook page Wednesday.
"Russia is an absolute evil that brings death and destruction. The world must react firmly and with principle," he added.
On Thursday, Ukrainian regional authorities also reported further deaths as a result of Russian airstrikes.
Two civilians were killed and six were injured in Kherson, according to the region's Governor Oleksandr Prokudin. Russian strikes hit civilian infrastructure, high-rise buildings, and houses, he said.
An overnight attack killed one more civilian in Zaporizhzhia and one in Donetsk, their regional governors posted on social media.
Ukraine's Air Force said Russia launched 72 drones, including Iranian-designed Shahed ones, against Ukraine overnight on Thursday, adding that Ukrainian air defence shot down 47 and forced an additional 24 to veer off course.