Russian Drone Strikes Office of Ukraine’s Intelligence Chief

BREAKING: Russian drone strikes the office of Ukraine's intelligence chief in Kyiv, hitting the security headquarters in the heart of the capital, President Zelensky says.

A Russian drone has struck the office of Ukraine's intelligence chief, in the middle of Kyiv.

President Zelensky confirmed it Friday. The strike hit the security headquarters in the heart of the capital, the building where Ukraine's military intelligence directs its operations against Moscow. You can see the aftermath here, smoke rising over Kyiv as emergency crews work the scene.

That headquarters is run by Kyrylo Budanov, the man Russia has tried to kill more times than anyone can count. Hitting his office is not a stray munition. It's a message, aimed at the nerve centre of Ukraine's war effort, delivered in daylight in the capital.

What we don't yet know is who was inside, and what this does to talks of any de-escalation. What we do know is that Russia just put a drone through the front door of Ukrainian intelligence.

This is Kateryna Kovalenko, reporting for HIT.