Russian strike hits SBU headquarters in central Kyiv; Radio NV poll finds plurality expecting retaliatory hit on FSB in Moscow
On September 4, Russian forces struck the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) headquarters in central Kyiv. A Radio NV poll of 918 people asked respondents whether they expected a retaliatory strike on the FSB building in Moscow. Nearly half of respondents said they very much expected such a strike, while smaller shares said it would be futile or only symbolic. Ukraine's Foreign Ministry called the attack a serious escalation, and the SBU said its response would be painful for the enemy.
Key points
- Russian forces struck the SBU headquarters in central Kyiv on September 4.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky said a drone was aimed at the office of SBU head Oleksandr Poklad.
- Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs called the strike a serious escalation and evidence of Moscow's unwillingness to pursue diplomacy.
- The SBU said the response to the Russian strike would be painful for the enemy.
- Radio NV polled 918 people on whether they expected a retaliatory strike on the FSB building in Moscow.
- 47.9% of respondents said they very much expected such a strike and that it was time to hit Moscow; 29.6% said it would be a useless waste of drones because Vladimir Putin hides in bunkers; 22.5% called it a good opportunity but only symbolic.
- The poll's results are not representative of the population of Ukraine as a whole.
Why it matters
The strike directly hit the SBU headquarters in central Kyiv — an unusual and symbolic attack on a Ukrainian security institution. It prompted the Foreign Ministry to frame the episode as a serious escalation that undermines diplomacy, while the SBU publicly promised a painful response. A Radio NV poll captured how a sample of Ukrainians viewed the prospect of striking back at a comparable Russian security target in Moscow, with a plurality in favor and notable minorities skeptical of the military or practical payoff.
What happened
On September 4, Russian forces struck the SBU building in central Kyiv. According to one expert, the weapon was a jet-powered Shahed-type drone launched from the Donetsk direction; President Zelensky said the drone was directed at the office of SBU head Oleksandr Poklad. Ukraine's Ministry of Foreign Affairs described the strike as a serious escalation and as evidence that Moscow is unwilling to move along the diplomatic path. The SBU stated that its response would be painful for the enemy. Radio NV subsequently polled 918 people on whether they expected a retaliatory strike on the FSB building in Moscow. Some 47.9% said they very much expected it and that it was time to start striking Moscow; 29.6% said such a strike would be a useless waste of drones, arguing that Vladimir Putin's top leadership hides in bunkers; and 22.5% called it a good opportunity but said the effect would only be symbolic. Radio NV noted that the poll's results are not representative of Ukraine's population as a whole.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian-language coverage framed the September 4 strike on the SBU headquarters as a serious Russian escalation and highlighted the SBU's promise of a painful response. Reporting around the Radio NV poll foregrounded Ukrainian public appetite for retaliatory strikes inside Russia and laid out three distinct respondent viewpoints: a plurality urging escalation, a minority dismissing strikes as futile given Putin's bunker protection, and a middle group seeing symbolic value only.
Background
According to one expert cited in coverage, the weapon used in the September 4 strike was one of two jet-powered Shahed-type drones launched from the Donetsk direction. President Zelensky said the drone was aimed at the office of SBU head Oleksandr Poklad.