Russian drone strikes Ukraine Security Service headquarters in central Kyiv

A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv on Friday afternoon, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, adding that it had targeted the head of the agency's office.

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The drone hit the SBU’s central building on Volodymyrska Street, opposite St Sophia Cathedral and close to Kyiv’s Golden Gate area, as Russia continued its campaign of daytime drone attacks on the Ukrainian capital.

“I spoke with the Head of the Security Service of Ukraine, Oleksandr Poklad. Unfortunately, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, across from St. Sophia Cathedral,” Zelenskyy said.

“The drone was aimed directly at the office of the Head of the Security Service in that building," he added.

Zelenskyy said emergency services were attending the scene. There was no immediate information on casualties.

The Ukrainian president said he had also instructed Poklad to prepare a response to the attack.

“I instructed Poklad to deliver an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike, to the Russians once everything is ready. Our military will support this response,” Zelenskyy wrote in a post on X.

Witnesses reported hearing an explosion at around 3.30 pm local time, with thick smoke rising from the area around the Golden Gate in the historic centre.

Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko initially reported a fire in the city’s Shevchenkivskyi district after a drone fell on the roof of a non-residential building, adding that emergency services were heading to the scene.

The attack came during another air-raid alert in Kyiv, with Ukraine’s air force warning that several drones were heading towards the city.

Russia has significantly ramped up its drone attacks on Kyiv in recent days, disrupting daily life in the Ukrainian capital.