A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's SBU security services in Kyiv on Friday afternoon, said Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, injuring five people. The attack followed a series of deadly overnight strikes across Ukraine, including the southern Odesa region.
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A Russian drone attack on Friday targeted the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in central Kyiv, said President Volodymyr Zelensky.
"Unfortunately, a Russian drone struck the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine on Volodymyrska Street in Kyiv, across from St. Sophia Cathedral," he said on X after speaking with acting head of the service, Oleksandr Poklad.
"The drone was aimed directly at the office of the head of the Security Service in that building," Zelensky added.
Zelensky said that he had instructed the SBU chief to "deliver an appropriate, tangible response and, where possible, one that mirrors this strike, to the Russians once everything is ready".
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Five people were injured in the attack, Kyiv's mayor said on the Telegram app.
Poklad was not in the vicinity at the time of the strike, a senior official told AFP on condition of anonymity.
Ukraine's Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha on Friday urged allies to step up pressure on Moscow, calling Russia's attack on SBU headquarters a "rejection of diplomacy".
"The Russian attack on Ukraine’s Security Service Headquarters is a major escalation that demands resolute responses," he said on X.
"Moscow launched this strike during a renewed push for peace – laying bare its true rejection of diplomacy," he said.
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Heavy black smoke rose from the site as ambulances and emergency services rushed to the scene in the historic part of the city close to the Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage site.
The owner of a popular bakery, Zavertailo, said on the Telegram app that their building was destroyed in the attack.
One woman shouted into her phone that she had popped out to buy cigarettes and been startled by the explosion.
Ukraine's capital has been under continuous Russian drone attack for ten days. On Wednesday, a university in the city centre was also hit.
The strike on the SBU came as US negotiators Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner are set to visit Moscow and Kyiv over the next few days.
Ukraine has proposed observing a ceasefire with Russia while Witkoff and Kushner visit Moscow and Kyiv, Zelensky said Friday.
"There will be no airstrikes on our part, and Russia must reciprocally ensure a ceasefire – without its own airstrikes – for the duration needed to conduct these talks," Zelensky said in his evening address.
Diplomatic efforts to end the war have been stalled for months as fighting rages on along more than 1,200 km (745 miles) of the frontline and Ukrainian cities are constantly bombarded.
Kyiv is also intensifying its strikes inside Russia, aiming to reduce its economic ability to continue with the war.
Zelensky said the two US envoys would visit Kyiv on Sunday. He called on Russia to halt its airstrikes on Ukraine during the visit and said Kyiv would guarantee the safety of the Russian airspace for their trip to Moscow.
Over the past few days, Russia has changed tactics with the use of fast-flying, jet-powered drones, and the expectation that daylight could bring a return to normal life has been shattered. Since last week, attacks have come day and night, compounding the terror of overnight strikes with the exhaustion of constant daytime disruption.
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In Kyiv, the recurring wail of air-raid sirens has become part of daily life. It has interrupted commutes, shopping trips and schools, intruding on life’s biggest moments, from weddings to funerals, and – as these attacks always have – taken lives. The relentless alerts are exhausting residents, leaving some wondering how long they can stay.
An alert sounds. People look at their phones or up at the sky. Moments later, in the distance, the familiar sounds of air defences intercepting drones resound.
Plumes of smoke can often be seen rising in the distance. Photos quickly spread across Telegram channels, showing where the destruction has occurred.
An hour or two later, another siren echoes.
In malls, banks and other businesses, air-raid protocols require customers and staff to leave when an alert sounds. A bank transaction can be interrupted mid-conversation; a shopping trip can become a cycle of entering a store, evacuating, returning and evacuating again.
Getting the shopping done has become a nightmare for Volodymyr Bovsunovskyi, who recounts a recent family trip to a mall to buy clothes for his nearly 4-year-old daughter. They had been inside for about 20 minutes when the alert sounded. They rushed out and saw smoke rising nearby.
They never got to purchase the clothes.
“A lot has changed in the last seven days,” he said. Like many residents, he hopes the attacks will relent. But, they have not yet, as Ukraine struggles to find an effective way to counter them.
(FRANCE 24 with AFP, AP and Reuters)
