A drone attack hit the central building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kiev, the country’s capital. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky stated that the attack carried out by Russia targeted the office of the agency’s acting head, Oleksandr Poklad.
“Unfortunately, a Russian drone hit the SBU central building on Volodymyrska Street in Kiev, opposite St. Sophia Cathedral,” Zelenskyy wrote on social media.
According to the mayor of the Ukrainian capital, Vitali Klitschko, in total, the attack on Kiev left nine people injured, four of whom were hospitalized. Emergency teams arrived at the scene.
Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andriy Sybiha said that Russia’s attack on the SBU headquarters in Kiev represents a “serious escalation” that requires a decisive response.
“Moscow launched this attack at a time of renewed peace efforts, thus demonstrating that it truly rejects diplomacy. The archaeological site of Saint Sophia Cathedral, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is also under threat,” he wrote on the social network X.
The Russian Defense Ministry has not yet commented on the attack. In a statement released this Friday morning (4), the ministry reported attacks on the logistics center of the company “EKO-Avtotekhniks” in the Kiev region, the ports of Yuzhny and Chornomorsk in the Odessa region and an electrical substation in Myrne.
Ukraine promises response
The SBU press service commented on the attack on its building in the center of Kiev, stating that it will be restored and that Moscow will receive a “painful response” to its attacks on Ukraine.
“Today, the enemy attacked the building of the SBU Central Directorate. The drone specifically targeted the office of the head of the Security Service, Oleksandr Poklad. However, the Russians were unable to achieve their objective — the head of the SBU was not injured,” the statement said.
“As for the damaged building, it will definitely be restored. And the Russians will receive a painful response to their attacks,” it added.
Moscow reacts to Ukraine air blockade threats
Friday’s attack comes amid worsening tensions between Russia and Ukraine, after Zelensky threatened to block Russian airspace through intensified drone attacks.
In a statement earlier this week, the Ukrainian president warned that Russian airspace was “becoming unsafe” because “drones will appear in the airspace in a way that will have to be taken into account”.
The Russian Foreign Ministry, in turn, when reacting to Zelensky’s threats, stated that it sent an urgent appeal to the Secretary General of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regarding Ukraine’s threats to Russian civil aviation.
According to the statement, Russia is “firmly committed to ensuring the safety of civil aviation” and “categorically rejects warnings to airmen issued by Ukrainian authorities regarding the alleged insecurity of Russian airspace.”
Moscow asked ICAO to condemn Kiev’s illegal interference in civil aviation activities and creation of direct threats to it.
Commenting on Zelensky’s statements, Russian President Vladimir Putin stated, in a press conference on September 1, that such threats represent “a declaration of state terrorism”. He called the Ukrainian leader’s words “an act of desperation.”
Source: www.brasildefato.com.br
