A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security and intelligence service in central Kyiv on Friday, sending plumes of black smoke rising above one of the capital's most historic neighbourhoods. The drone was aimed directly at the office of the SBU chief, according to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who confirmed the strike in a post on Telegram. At least nine people were injured, with some accounts putting the number as high as twelve. It is the first time the SBU's main building has been hit since Russia launched its full-scale invasion more than three years ago.
The SBU headquarters sits on Volodymyrska Street in the heart of Kyiv, directly opposite St Sophia Cathedral — an 11th-century landmark and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The building plays a central role in Ukraine's war effort: the agency has carried out deep-strike operations inside Russian territory, including the 2022 bombing of the Kerch Bridge linking Russia to the occupied Crimean peninsula, and a 2025 drone attack that destroyed Russian strategic bombers. Ukrainian forces and bystanders in surrounding streets rushed into underground shelters after the strike, fearing a follow-up "double-tap" attack — a known Russian tactic in which a second drone targets emergency responders at the scene. A nearby café was damaged, with one customer hospitalised. Russia also confirmed Friday that it had struck a cargo vessel in the Ukrainian port of Chornomorsk and a tanker near Odesa.
Zelenskyy said he had instructed SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad to prepare "an appropriate, tangible response" that would mirror the strike where possible. Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack "a major escalation that demands resolute responses" and accused Moscow of launching it "during a renewed push for peace — laying bare its true rejection of diplomacy." He urged international partners to condemn the strike and increase pressure on the Kremlin.
The timing is acutely sensitive. US President Donald Trump's special envoy Steve Witkoff and his son-in-law Jared Kushner — both acting as informal peace negotiators — were due to travel to Moscow before arriving in Kyiv on Sunday for their first-ever visit to the Ukrainian capital. Trump told reporters at the White House that the trip was aimed at pursuing "an idea for peace," and that there may be "a good chance" of achieving a result. Zelenskyy announced that Ukraine would guarantee safe Russian airspace during the envoys' travel and called on Russia to reciprocate. However, Reuters cited two sources suggesting the Kyiv leg of the visit remained unconfirmed amid last-minute scheduling changes.
Friday's strike is the latest in an intensifying campaign of daily drone and missile attacks on Kyiv that has lasted more than a week. Russia has increasingly deployed fast, jet-powered drones capable of reaching 250mph — making them difficult to intercept, particularly as Ukraine faces a reported shortage of US-made Patriot missile interceptors. A strike on a Kyiv university earlier in the week underlined the breadth of targets being hit. For Ukraine, the attack on its intelligence nerve centre — rare in its precision and brazenness in broad daylight — raises urgent questions about the country's ability to protect critical infrastructure, and sends a pointed message on the eve of what were meant to be the most substantive peace negotiations in months.