Key facts
- A Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv.
- At least 12 people were injured in the attack.
- President Zelenskyy ordered a "tangible response" to the strike.
- The strike damaged a non-residential building and historic structures near St. Sophia's Cathedral.
- Air Tanzania suspended flights to Moscow amid Ukrainian threats to Russian airspace.
- Ukrainian drones reportedly hit a defense plant in Sterlitamak and two oil refineries in Russia.
Russia launched a drone strike on the headquarters of Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) in central Kyiv on September 4, injuring at least 12 people and damaging a non-residential building. The drone reportedly targeted the office of acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, but he was unharmed. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy ordered a "tangible response" to the attack, stating Ukraine had decided where retaliatory strikes would occur.
The strike, which occurred during a daytime air raid alert, also damaged windows and other elements of nearby historic buildings within the St. Sophia's Cathedral National Sanctuary, though the cathedral itself was not harmed. This marks the first known Russian attack on the SBU headquarters in central Kyiv.
In response to Ukrainian threats to "close" Russia's skies, Air Tanzania became the first airline to temporarily suspend flights between Dar es Salaam and Moscow, citing safety considerations. Meanwhile, Ukrainian drones reportedly struck a military-industrial facility in Sterlitamak, over 1,300 km from Ukraine, and two major Russian oil refineries suspended operations following earlier Ukrainian drone attacks.