A Russian drone slammed into the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv on Friday, September 4, 2026, sending thick black smoke over the capital’s historic center. Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 12 people were injured, with nine taken to hospital and two of them in serious condition.
The SBU building stands on Volodymyrska Street, directly across from St. Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site, and close to the Zoloti Vorota metro station. Strikes that damage Ukrainian government buildings have been rare during the war, which is now in its fifth year.
Drone aimed at the SBU chief’s office
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said the drone “was aimed directly at the office of the Head of the Security Service,” Oleksandr Poklad. The SBU confirmed that Poklad’s office was the intended target. He was not in the office at the time and was not hurt.
An air raid alert sounded in Kyiv at 3:01 p.m., shortly before an explosion was heard, and Ukraine’s Air Force reported jet-powered drones heading toward the city. The impact started a fire that emergency crews later put out. According to Klitschko, parts of the building’s floor structure and an exterior wall were destroyed. The SBU said the headquarters will be rebuilt.
Zelenskyy orders a “mirror” response
Zelenskyy said he instructed Poklad to prepare a response that is noticeable and, where possible, mirrors the Russian strike, with the military supporting the operation. He later said Ukraine had already decided on the “geography” of its response and would choose the timing to make sure it is effective. The SBU itself warned that Russia should expect further operations against its assets and networks.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the attack a “major escalation that demands resolute responses.” He said Moscow chose to strike during a renewed push for peace, which he argued shows that Russia rejects diplomacy, and he urged UNESCO to do more to protect Ukraine’s cultural heritage.
Damage around St. Sophia Cathedral
The blast wave reached the Sofia Kyivska National Conservation Area across the street. Its director general, Nelia Kukovalska, said windows were shattered and the glass entrance of the Consistory building was destroyed. Staff and visitors had taken shelter, and no one at the reserve was injured. The cathedral itself was not damaged.
The Zavertailo bakery opposite the SBU building was wrecked. Staff and customers had sheltered in the basement, though co-owner Stanislav Zavertailo later said one guest was injured and taken to hospital. It is not the first time the family’s businesses have been hit by Russian attacks.
Ten days of attacks on the capital
The strike came after more than a week of near-daily Russian drone attacks on Kyiv. Russia has increasingly used jet-powered Geran drones, developed from the Iranian-designed Shahed, which fly faster and are harder for Ukrainian air defenses to intercept. A day earlier, on September 3, a drone hit a nine-story apartment building in Kyiv’s Holosiivskyi district, and debris across the city injured 13 people, including a 12-year-old girl.
The SBU has been behind some of Ukraine’s most daring operations of the war, including the 2022 bombing of the bridge to Crimea and the 2025 “Spiderweb” drone attack on Russian strategic bombers. Ukraine also links the agency to the killings of senior Russian military figures, which Moscow calls terrorism.
Strike lands ahead of US peace mission
The attack came just before a planned visit by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, who were expected in Moscow and then in Kyiv on Sunday, September 6. Zelenskyy asked Russia to halt air strikes during their visit and said Kyiv would guarantee safe airspace for their trip to Moscow. Peace talks have been stalled for months, while fighting continues along a front line of more than 1,200 kilometers (745 miles).
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