A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service in central Kyiv on Friday, September 4, 2026.
The Security Service of Ukraine, known as the SBU, is the country’s main domestic intelligence and security agency.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone hit the agency’s central building on Volodymyrska Street. The building stands opposite the historic Saint Sophia Cathedral.
“The drone was aimed directly at the office of the head of the Security Service in that building,” Zelensky said.
The acting head of the SBU, Oleksandr Poklad, was reportedly not near the targeted office when the drone struck.
Early reports said five people had been injured. Kyiv authorities later increased the figure to at least 12, according to updated reports from Reuters and the Associated Press.
Heavy black smoke rose above Kyiv’s historic centre as ambulances and firefighters arrived.
The explosion also shattered windows in a building belonging to the Saint Sophia complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site. Nearby businesses suffered damage.
Zelensky said he had ordered the SBU to prepare “an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike.”
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the attack as a major escalation.
He accused Moscow of rejecting diplomacy by launching the strike during renewed efforts to negotiate an end to the war.
The attack happened before expected visits to Moscow and Kyiv by United States envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner.
Zelensky proposed that Ukraine and Russia suspend air attacks while the American envoys conduct their talks.
Kyiv has faced Russian drone attacks for ten consecutive days. Ukraine says Russia has also started using more fast-moving, jet-powered drones during daytime operations.
Russia had not publicly responded to Zelensky’s claim that the SBU chief’s office was deliberately targeted when the reports were published.
