Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said he has ordered the head of Ukraine’s SBU security service to carry out an “appropriate and tangible” response to a Russian drone strike against the agency’s headquarters in central Kyiv on Friday afternoon.
In a post on X, Zelensky wrote that a Russian drone took direct aim at the office of SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad.
Ukrainian media reported that Poklad was not in his office at the time of the attack, which took place at around 3:30 p.m. local time.
Heavy black smoke was seen rising in central Kyiv following the strike, which Ukraine’s foreign minister described as a major escalation of the war.
Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko said at least seven people were injured in the attack.
Zelensky said he spoke with Poklad and instructed him to prepare a response that “mirrors” the Russian strike. “Our military will support this response,” the Ukrainian president wrote.
The Kremlin did not immediately comment on the attack.
Ukraine’s SBU is a vast and secretive agency responsible for ambitious operations deep inside Russia.
It is also widely seen as a leading player in a campaign of covert assassinations of senior Russian military officials and other figures blamed by Ukraine for carrying out war crimes.
Reuters contributed reporting.
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