Sibiga called the strike on the SBU building a 'complete rejection of diplomacy by Moscow' and urged UNESCO to protect Saint Sophia's Cathedral

On the night of September 4, 2026, a Russian unmanned aerial vehicle struck the building of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in the center of Kyiv. According to Ukrainian media, the drone was flying directly at the office of SBU head Oleksandr Poklad. The attack injured people and damaged civilian infrastructure in the immediate vicinity of the facility. At the time of the strike, a large number of civilians were present in the central part of the capital.

'Serious escalation' and rejection of diplomacy

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha, in a statement on the X network, characterized the incident as a 'serious escalation by Moscow,' emphasizing that the attack occurred precisely during new attempts to resume the peace process. According to the head of Ukraine's Foreign Ministry, this strike 'once again demonstrates Russia's actual rejection of diplomacy.' Sybiha directly linked the incident to Moscow's complete abandonment of the negotiation track, stating that the Kremlin's actions evidence the systematic sabotage of any peace initiatives.

UNESCO World Heritage site under threat

Particular concern is raised by the geographic proximity of the strike site to Saint Sophia's Cathedral — a UNESCO World Heritage site located in the immediate vicinity of the SBU building on Sophia Square. Sybiha stated that as a result of the attack, this historic monument was put at risk, and he called on the international community, first and foremost UNESCO, to 'respond decisively and step up efforts to protect the heritage that is under threat in Ukraine.' This is not the first time that military actions in the center of Kyiv have created a direct danger to cultural heritage sites of global significance.

Zelensky ordered an 'adequate and tangible' response

President Volodymyr Zelensky has already reacted to the latest shelling of the capital, ordering that an 'adequate and tangible' response be provided to the enemy strike. According to Ukrainian media, the head of state, together with SBU head Oleksandr Poklad, determined the parameters of the retaliatory measures. Specific details of the response preparation were not disclosed at the public level; however, the very fact of the incident being discussed jointly at the level of the president and the head of the security service indicates a high degree of priority for this issue on the agenda.

Appeal to the international community

In connection with the incident, Ukraine has turned to its international partners with a call to 'act decisively' — to unambiguously condemn the latest act of aggression by the Russian Federation and to increase pressure on Vladimir Putin's regime. Sybiha used the formulation 'the regime of Russian dictator Putin' in his statement, which underscores the harshness of the tone of Ukraine's diplomatic reaction. At the same time, Kyiv sent a signal to UNESCO demanding that it step up the mechanisms for protecting cultural heritage that is under threat amid the ongoing war.

Contradictory data

Open sources contain a minor discrepancy in the details of the strike's target. Ukrainian media (including Gazeta.ru, citing Ukrainian sources) report that the drone 'aimed at the head's office' of the SBU, i.e., had a precise task of hitting a specific workspace. At the same time, official Kyiv statements, including Sybiha's remarks, focus on the nature of the attack as an 'escalation' and an 'act of aggression' in general, without detailing whether the strike was aimed specifically at Poklad as an individual or at the building as a symbol of state security. Thus, the version of a 'pinpoint' strike on the office of the SBU head is, at present, confirmed only at the level of media reports, not by official statements from Ukrainian authorities.