Russian Drone Hits SBU Headquarters in Kyiv!
· novinite.comA Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service, known as the SBU, in central Kyiv on Sept. 4, injuring at least 12 people and damaging several nearby buildings, including a historic structure within the St. Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko initially reported nine people injured in the Shevchenkivskyi district, with seven taken to city hospitals. Later figures from the Kyiv City Military Administration put the number of injured at 12, seven of whom had been hospitalized.
Emergency crews remained at the scene after the strike. Klitschko said a fire at a non-residential building had been brought under control, while the impact destroyed part of a floor slab and an exterior wall.
The SBU said the drone deliberately targeted the office of Oleksandr Poklad, the agency’s acting head. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Poklad was not in his office when the strike occurred and was unharmed.
The SBU said the building would be repaired and vowed a response to the attack.
“As for the damaged building, it will definitely be repaired. And the Russians will receive a painful response to their strikes – more special operations, exposed agent networks and destroyed enemies,” the agency said.
Zelensky later met with Poklad to discuss Ukraine’s response. The president said he had instructed the SBU chief to prepare an appropriate and significant response to the Russian attack.
“The geography of our response has been determined. The timing will be chosen to ensure results,” Zelensky said.
The strike also damaged the 18th-century Consistory Building located on the grounds of the St. Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve. Ukraine’s Ministry of Culture said windows and window frames were damaged, although no one was killed or injured within the reserve.
The reserve is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is also included on the World Heritage in Danger list. It receives enhanced protection under the Second Protocol to the 1954 Hague Convention concerning the protection of cultural property during armed conflict.
Ukraine’s Culture Ministry described the damage as a serious violation of international humanitarian law and warned that the attack threatened cultural heritage of global significance.
The reserve has previously been affected by Russian attacks. In June last year, a blast wave damaged part of the facade of the 11th-century St. Sophia’s Cathedral, causing molding from the central apse to fall.
The SBU headquarters itself is also a protected architectural and historical monument. The building stands within the unified buffer zone recognized by UNESCO for the sites covering St. Sophia Cathedral and related monastic buildings and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The headquarters building has a long history. At the beginning of the 20th century, the site at 33 Volodymyrska Street was occupied by the estate of Professor Georgy Rein. In 1910, the Kyiv Society for Emergency Medical Aid purchased it using donations from philanthropists Oleksandr Tereshchenko and Lazar Brodsky, with plans to establish an emergency medical complex.
The society later exchanged the property for another plot belonging to the Kyiv Provincial Zemstvo. The original estate was eventually demolished, and construction of a major building for the representative bodies of Kyiv Governorate began in 1913 under architect Volodymyr Shchuko.
World War I interrupted the project, and construction was completed in 1928 under Soviet rule. The building later housed trade unions, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine and various state security agencies before becoming the headquarters of the SBU.
A nearby restaurant was also damaged. Zavertailo co-owner Stanislav Zavertailo said one customer was injured and hospitalized after the strike. People had been sheltering in the restaurant’s basement during the attack.
“Everyone is safe and unharmed, but they are still in shock, so everyone will need to be examined again,” Zavertailo said.
The incident marked the second time a Zavertailo restaurant in Kyiv has been damaged by a Russian attack. Another branch in the Podil district was hit in May, while a restaurant belonging to the same ownership group was damaged in an attack in August 2025.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strike on the SBU headquarters as a major escalation and called on international partners to increase pressure on Russia.
“Moscow launched this strike during a renewed push for peace – laying bare its true rejection of diplomacy,” Sybiha said, noting that the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site had also been placed at risk.
Sybiha urged partners to condemn the attack and called on UNESCO to strengthen its efforts to protect endangered Ukrainian cultural heritage.
The strike came as Kyiv endured its ninth consecutive day of Russian attacks, including repeated strikes by jet-powered Shahed-type drones and a ballistic missile attack earlier in the week.
The continuing attacks have brought frequent air raid alerts, air defense activity and explosions across the capital, adding to fatigue and anxiety among residents.
The latest assault also comes as U.S. President Donald Trump’s special envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner prepare to travel to Moscow and Kyiv for talks aimed at ending the war. According to the supplied reports, the envoys were expected to visit Moscow on Sept. 4, meet Russian President Vladimir Putin on Sept. 5 and travel to Kyiv to meet Zelensky on Sept. 6.
Ukraine has also announced changes to its air alert system amid the continuing attacks. Under the planned system, yellow alerts will indicate drone threats, while red alerts will signal incoming missiles and major combined attacks.
Source: