A Russian drone struck Ukraine’s SBU security service headquarters in central Kyiv on Friday, targeting the agency chief’s office as renewed U.S.-led diplomatic efforts sought to revive talks on ending the war, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said.
The air war between Russia and Ukraine has intensified as the conflict stretches toward five years since Moscow's invasion of its neighbor.
Zelenskyy wrote on Telegram that he had spoken with acting security chief Oleksandr Poklad following the strike. The security service headquarters, located close to the historic St. Sophia Cathedral and international hotels, is among the agencies carrying out deep strike operations inside Russian territory. Nine people were wounded in the attack, local authorities said.
"The drone was deliberately targeted at the head of the SBU's office in that building. I instructed Poklad to respond appropriately, significantly, and, if possible, in kind to the Russians for this attack," Zelenskyy said.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike a "major escalation" that came as potential peace talks were building momentum, in a post on X.
