Beskrestnov: Shahed attack on SBU building deliberately planned Russian operation

Ukrainian presidential adviser Serhiy Beskrestnov asserts that the Shahed drone attack on Ukraine's State Security Service (SBU) building was an intentionally orchestrated Russian operation. In his personal assessment, the Shahed drone was controlled and guided online through a Mesh radio relay with internet access, which a Russian operative activated nearby, within a 5-kilometer radius during the attack. This type of repeater is approximately half the size of a school backpack, Beskrestnov stated on his Telegram channel.

Beskrestnov further noted that there were no additional Shahed UAVs in the airspace at the time of the attack, implying that remote control from Russia was not feasible. An earlier report indicated that a Russian drone targeted the central SBU building in Kyiv on Volodymyrska Street, situated opposite St. Sophia Cathedral, on Friday afternoon. According to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, the drone was aimed directly at the office of the SBU director within the building.

In response to this latest Russian assault, the Consistory Building, an architectural landmark of national significance located on the grounds of the Saint Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve, sustained damage. Subsequently, Zelenskyy announced preparations for active countermeasures in retaliation against the Russian strikes and declared that Ukraine has already pinpointed the geographical scope of its response.