Kyiv SBU HQ hit by Russian drone, Ukraine says; 12 wounded

Ukraine said a Russian drone hit the headquarters of its SBU security service in central Kyiv on Friday, September 4, while Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least 12 people were wounded.

President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone struck the SBU's central building on Volodymyrska Street, opposite St. Sophia Cathedral, and was aimed directly at the office of acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad. He said he had instructed the SBU to deliver an “appropriate, tangible response”.

A senior official told AFP that Poklad was not in the building. The SBU said he was unharmed and that the building would be restored. Klitschko did not say whether the wounded were inside the SBU building.

Russia did not immediately comment. AFP reported that it was the first time the powerful security agency's headquarters had been hit since Russia launched its invasion in 2022.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiga called the strike a “major escalation”. An image published by Ukrainska Pravda showed what appeared to be black smoke coming from at least two windows on the front of the SBU building, and an AFP reporter saw several ambulances nearby.

The strike came before expected visits to Moscow and Kyiv by US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump's lead negotiators on ending the war. A senior Ukrainian official told AFP the envoys would visit Kyiv on Sunday.

Trump later said the envoys were bringing a proposal to end the war. “We have an idea for peace,” he said. Trump did not say when they would visit Moscow, but the New York Times and Axios reported that they were due there on Saturday. The Kremlin declined to comment.

Zelensky proposed that Ukraine and Russia halt airstrikes while the envoys travel for talks. He said Ukraine would not carry out airstrikes during the period and that Russia should do the same. There was no immediate Russian comment on the proposal.