Russian drone hits Ukraine security HQ in Kyiv before US peace push

A Russian drone struck Ukraine's security service headquarters in central Kyiv hours before planned contacts with US envoys. The attack sharpened fears of escalation as fresh diplomacy struggled to find a path to peace.

In Short

• Twelve people were wounded after the Kyiv strike hit central offices
• Ukraine called the attack a major escalation amid renewed peace contacts
• US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner may visit Moscow and Kyiv

A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's security service in central Kyiv on Friday, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said, hours before expected diplomatic contacts with US officials on efforts to end the war. Local authorities said 12 people were wounded in the attack.

The strike came as the air war between Russia and Ukraine intensified, with both sides reporting fresh attacks. Ukrainian officials called the hit on the security service building a major escalation, while US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to visit Moscow and then Kyiv over the weekend and early next week.

Zelenskyy said on Telegram that acting security chief Oleksandr Poklad had briefed him on a response to Russia's attacks, including possible targets. The security service headquarters, near St Sophia Cathedral and international hotels, is among the agencies involved in deep-strike operations inside Russian territory.

"The drone was deliberately targeted at the head of the SBU's office in that building," Zelenskyy said.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strike as a "major escalation" as possible peace talks were gathering pace. "Moscow launched this strike during a renewed push for peace -- laying bare its true rejection of diplomacy," he said in a post on X.

A US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to comment publicly, said Witkoff and Kushner would travel to Moscow and then Kyiv over the weekend and into early next week. The official did not give more specific timings. If the visit goes ahead, it would be their first trip to Kyiv. US efforts to negotiate a settlement have so far failed to produce a path to peace.

Zelenskyy said he expected Witkoff and Kushner in Kyiv on Sunday after their Moscow stop. He said Ukraine would refrain from airstrikes during the negotiations and urged Russia to do the same so the talks could proceed safely. "As with previous diplomatic visits by the American side, we will ensure the normal functioning of Russian airspace so that the negotiators can arrive safely. We are concerned about their safety, not about Russia," Zelenskyy said.

Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov declined to confirm reports that Kushner and Witkoff would visit Moscow, saying only that the media would be informed if such a meeting took place. Kushner and Witkoff last visited Moscow in January, when they met Russian President Vladimir Putin. After that meeting, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov said the talks were constructive, but added that "reaching a long-term settlement can't be expected without solving the territorial issue". Further talks have since lost momentum, with the White House focused on its conflict with Iran.

The diplomatic activity coincided with a "massive" overnight Russian attack on Ukraine's Odesa region that killed one person and injured at least five others, including a child, regional head Oleh Kiper said on Telegram. He said multiple residential buildings were damaged, including two multi-storey blocks. Elsewhere, overnight strikes killed two police officers in Dnipro, while a drone strike in Kyiv wounded three people after hitting a residential building.

Russian forces have continued to strike civilian areas. Attacks that had mostly happened at night are now also taking place during the day, while the front line in eastern and southern Ukraine remains largely deadlocked.

In Russia, regional officials said a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike hit the Black Sea resort city of Sochi and the nearby district of Sirius, sparking a fire at an oil depot. They gave no further details. Russian media reported that two depots were hit, with one fire in Sochi and another in Sirius.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted oil facilities that are central to Russia's economy. After months of escalating Ukrainian strikes on refineries and e-commerce hubs, pressure on Russia's economy and public frustration have grown. Last month, Putin decreed that the state could temporarily take control of critical infrastructure if private owners failed to protect sites from Ukrainian drone attacks or did not rebuild them after strikes. Analysts said the move was aimed at forcing companies to pay for their own security and restore damaged assets despite the cost.

In Finland, authorities said they were investigating how a Russian-made drone ended up on a rocky shoreline in the Pellinge archipelago east of Helsinki. Finland's Border Guard said what appeared to be a Geoscan 701 drone, made by a Russian company, had been found on the shore. "The device model in question is used by both state and civilian operators, and it is not possible at this stage to determine its intended use or identify the country or entity operating it," the Border Guard said. State broadcaster Yle reported that a fisherman found the drone on Tuesday. Geoscan says the 701 model is designed for large-scale aerial surveying.

The strike on Ukraine's security service headquarters, the latest deadly attacks on both sides and the expected visits by US envoys underlined how the war and diplomacy were unfolding at the same time, with no breakthrough yet in efforts to secure a settlement.

With PTI Inputs

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