Russian drone strikes SBU headquarters in Kyiv injuring five

Attack on security headquarters

A Russian drone struck the central headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in central Kyiv on Friday afternoon. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the strike on social media platform X following a briefing with senior security official Oleksandr Pokland. The targeted compound is located on Volodymyrska Street, situated directly opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral in the central district of the capital. Video footage from the scene showed a detonation followed by flames rising from the structure, with witnesses reporting dense black smoke across the city center. Ukrainian authorities stated that the drone was aimed directly at the executive office of the service's leadership inside the building.

Casualties and urban damage

Kyiv's mayor confirmed via Telegram that five people were injured in the strike on the non-residential premises. Emergency responders and numerous ambulances arrived rapidly at Volodymyrska Street to provide medical treatment and secure the surrounding area. The shockwave and impact caused collateral destruction in the surrounding neighborhood near the UNESCO World Heritage site. The owner of the local bakery Zavertailo announced on Telegram that their nearby building suffered severe destruction from the blast. The strike occurred during a ten-day period of continuous Russian drone attacks on Kyiv, which included a separate strike on a university in the city center on Wednesday.

All emergency services are on site and those affected will receive the necessary assistance.

Directives for a coordinated response

Following the briefing on the strike, the Ukrainian presidency instructed security officials to prepare military countermeasures against Russian targets. Zelenskyy directed Pokland to formulate an appropriate and substantive retaliatory operation once operational conditions allow. The Ukrainian armed forces will coordinate with intelligence units to execute the planned retaliation. As Ukraine's primary internal security institution, the SBU oversees domestic intelligence gathering, national counterintelligence operations, and efforts against organized crime.

I instructed Pokland to give the Russians an appropriate, substantive response and, where possible, a response corresponding to this strike, as soon as everything is ready.

Inter-agency investigation in Kyiv

The strike on the Volodymyrska Street complex occurred shortly after domestic scrutiny focused on internal tensions between Ukraine's intelligence bodies. In a late-night address on Thursday, Zelenskyy disclosed that an official investigation had opened into an armed exchange between members of the SBU and the military intelligence directorate (HUR) in Kyiv. Two individuals, identified as one SBU operative and one HUR officer, were formally declared suspects as investigators examine the circumstances of the shootout. Zelenskyy stated that the leaders of both organizations will face formal administrative reviews upon the conclusion of the internal inquiry, stating that both factions acted improperly and must be held accountable. Political analyst Volodymyr Fesenko noted on Facebook that the friction stemmed from a personal and political dispute between Pokland and military intelligence leadership.