Zelenskyy says Russian drone hit SBU HQ in Kyiv as US envoys plan talks

Kyiv,UPDATED: Sep 4, 2026 21:16 IST

Russian drone attacks and renewed diplomatic efforts unfolded side by side on Friday, with President Volodymyr Zelenskyy saying a Russian drone struck the headquarters of Ukraine's security service in central Kyiv ahead of talks with US officials on ending the war. The strike wounded nine people, local authorities said, as fighting between Russia and Ukraine continued to intensify.

The developments came as a US official said American envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner were expected to travel to Moscow and then Kyiv over the weekend and into early next week. At the same time, fresh strikes were reported in different parts of Ukraine, while Russia said a large-scale Ukrainian drone attack had hit the Black Sea resort city of Sochi and the nearby district of Sirius, causing a fire at an oil depot.

Zelenskyy said he had spoken with acting security chief Oleksandr Poklad after the strike on the security service headquarters, which is near St Sophia Cathedral and international hotels. The agency is among those carrying out deep-strike operations inside Russian territory.

"The drone was deliberately targeted at the head of the SBU's office in that building. I instructed Poklad to respond appropriately, significantly, and, if possible, in kind to the Russians for this attack," Zelenskyy said on Telegram.

Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the strike a "major escalation" and said it came at a time when possible peace talks were gaining momentum. "Moscow launched this strike during a renewed push for peace - laying bare its true rejection of diplomacy," he said in a post on X.

The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to comment publicly, said Witkoff and Kushner would travel first to Moscow and then to Kyiv. Zelenskyy had said on Thursday that he was expecting US envoys in Kyiv in the coming days as part of renewed efforts to end the war.

In his nightly address on Thursday, Zelenskyy said preliminary dates had been set for meetings in both Moscow and Kyiv, and that Ukraine's negotiating team was in near-constant contact with the US side. "They confirmed they will have a meeting in Moscow and another one in Kyiv. We expect the latter to take place in the coming days. This is very important. It is important that America remain actively engaged," he said, adding that Ukraine was ready for substantive, high-level negotiations.

Russian state news agency Tass reported on Friday that Witkoff and Kushner would visit Moscow first and then Kyiv on Saturday and Sunday, though that could not be independently verified. Kremlin spokesperson Dmitry Peskov did not confirm the reported Moscow visit, saying only that the media would be informed if such a meeting took place.

Kushner and Witkoff last visited Moscow in January, when they met Russian President Vladimir Putin. This would be their first visit to Kyiv. After that January meeting, Russian presidential aide Yury Ushakov had described the talks as constructive, but said that "reaching a long-term settlement can't be expected without solving the territorial issue".

Further talks have since lost momentum, with the White House focusing on its conflict with Iran. On Wednesday, Putin said negotiations were "frozen".

The diplomatic moves coincided with what Odesa regional head Oleh Kiper described as a "massive" overnight Russian attack on the Odesa region. One person was killed and at least five others, including a child, were injured, he said. Multiple residential buildings were damaged, including two multistorey blocks.

Elsewhere in Ukraine, officials said overnight strikes killed two police officers in Dnipro. In Kyiv, a separate drone attack hit a residential building and injured three people.

Russian forces have continued to hit civilian areas. While such attacks had earlier mostly taken place at night, they are now also happening during the day. The front line in eastern and southern Ukraine remains largely deadlocked.

In Russia, regional officials said a large-scale Ukrainian drone strike hit Sochi and the nearby district of Sirius on Friday. They said the attack caused a fire at an oil depot, without giving more details. Russian media outlets reported that two depots were hit, with one fire in Sochi and another in Sirius.

Ukraine has repeatedly targeted oil facilities that are important to Russia's economy. The pressure from months of Ukrainian strikes on refineries and e-commerce hubs has added to disruption inside Russia. Last month, Putin signed a decree allowing the state to temporarily take control of critical infrastructure facilities if private owners fail to protect them from Ukrainian drone attacks or do not rebuild them after strikes. Analysts said the move was intended to make companies pay for their own security and restore damaged assets despite the cost.

Separately, Finnish authorities said they were investigating how a Russian-made drone ended up on a rocky shoreline in the Pellinge archipelago east of Helsinki. Finland's Border Guard said what appeared to be a Geoscan 701 drone, made by a Russian company, had been found on the shore.

"The device model in question is used by both state and civilian operators, and it is not possible at this stage to determine its intended use or identify the country or entity operating it," the Border Guard said in a statement.

State broadcaster Yle reported that the drone was discovered on Tuesday by fisherman Peter Kellgren, who said it "was out there in the open sea" and appeared to have drifted ashore from elsewhere. Geoscan describes itself as one of Russia's leading drone manufacturers and says the 701 model is designed for large-scale aerial surveying.

In sum, Friday's developments brought together a strike on Ukraine's security service headquarters in Kyiv, fresh civilian casualties in multiple regions, reports of Ukrainian attacks inside Russia, and signs of renewed US diplomatic engagement with both Moscow and Kyiv.

With PTI Inputs

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