Arson attack on Forsage nightclub in Kyiv: summer terrace destroyed

On the night of August 19, a fire broke out at the Forsage nightclub in Kyiv. According to the Main Directorate of the State Emergency Service in Kyiv, the fire was reported "in a non-residential building of an inactive entertainment venue on Harmatna Street" at 01:18.

The blaze spread to the summer terrace and the exterior walls.

By 02:00, firefighters had extinguished the flames, which covered an area of about 100 square meters.

Ksenia Semenova, Acting Rector of the Kyiv Aviation Institute (KAI), where Forsage rents premises, said the incident was an act of arson.

"Last night, during the curfew, two men set fire to the university building currently leased by the Forsage nightclub. They acted professionally: they knew where the cameras were and even made a photo report for their client," she wrote on Telegram.

According to Semenova, an unauthorized extension—constructed by the tenant without the necessary permits—was destroyed in the fire.

"The investigation of this arson is a test case for us, because we have all the data needed for a successful outcome, if only there is the political will. Can Kyiv residents feel safe if people can roam the city and set buildings on fire during curfew?" she added.

• Forsage Club LLC is owned by Vira and Rostyslav Ruchko. Until the end of 2023, the company was co-owned by Olena Savytska, the wife of former rector of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Maksym Lutsky.
• In 2024, the university accused Forsage of failing to pay rent.