A Russian drone struck the central Kyiv headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service on Friday, marking the first time the building has been hit directly in the four and a half year war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
Strike Aimed at the Chief’s Office
Zelenskyy said the drone was directed specifically at the office of SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad, in the building on Volodymyrska Street across from St. Sophia Cathedral. Poklad was not in his office at the time and was not injured, the SBU later confirmed, though Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least seven people were hurt in the daytime strike, according to the Moscow Times.
CNN reported that the attack highlighted Ukraine’s ongoing shortages of air defenses, coming after days of near continuous Russian aerial assaults on the capital. Witnesses reported hearing an explosion around 3:30 p.m. local time, with heavy black smoke rising near Kyiv’s historic Golden Gate area.
Zelenskyy Orders a “Tangible Response”
“I instructed Poklad to deliver an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike, to the Russians once everything is ready,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media, adding that Ukraine’s military would support the SBU’s response.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike a “major escalation that demands resolute responses,” saying it exposed Moscow’s rejection of diplomacy even as renewed peace efforts are underway, according to Euromaidan Press.
Part of a Wider Bombardment
Ukrainian officials said Russian drones also targeted at least three other regions the same day, including Zaporizhzhia, with authorities reporting a nationwide air raid alert lasting roughly nine hours and hundreds of drones launched across the country, according to the Moscow Times. Russia has not publicly commented on the strike on the SBU headquarters.
The attack came as US envoys were expected to travel to the region for talks, adding pressure on diplomatic efforts that have so far failed to produce a lasting halt to the fighting.
The strike is the latest in a series of direct hits on government-linked infrastructure in the capital this year, and comes as Ukraine continues to press Western partners for additional air defense systems to counter the near daily drone barrages.
