Ukraine: Russian strike on the SBU in kyiv, escalation of the conflict

Did you miss the latest events on the war in Ukraine? 20 Minutes takes stock for you every evening. Here is the gist of this Friday, September 4, 2026, on the 1,654th day of the conflict.

Fact of the day

For almost five years, kyiv and Moscow had respected, more or less, a “code” which consisted of avoiding hitting places of power. He hasn't had any classes since Friday. At the beginning of the afternoon, a Russian drone targeted the headquarters of the Ukrainian security services (SBU), in the heart of the historic center of kyiv, in the Saint Sophia Cathedral district. Volodymyr Zelensky claims that it was the office of the head of this powerful organization, Oleksandr Poklad, which was targeted. But he escaped the strike, the provisional toll of which was twelve injured. The Ukrainian president gave the order to prepare a “mirror” response.

This spectacular attack comes after Ukraine warned airlines that Russian skies were no longer safe. A threat described as a “serious error” by Vladimir Putin. The strike on the intelligence HQ is denounced as a “serious escalation” by Ukrainian diplomacy, which believes that the moment is not chosen at random, when peace discussions could resume under the aegis of the United States (read below).

Sentence of the day

“Weakening Ukraine as Marine Le Pen wants is to threaten the security of Europe and France. I will do everything to prevent it”

A promise from candidate Edouard Philippe... It was only a matter of time before conflict erupted into the presidential election campaign. The Horizons candidate thus responds to the suggestion of Louis Aliot, the RN mayor of Perpignan, to “turn off the tap” to Ukraine, by accusing poll favorite Marine Le Pen of “serving Russia”. Scathing, the person responded by evoking the “pitiful international record” of the former Prime Minister and recalling that Vladimir Putin was “received with great fanfare at the Palace of Versailles then at Fort Brégançon” by Emmanuel Macron.

The number of the day

3. World Health Organization (WHO) warehouses in Ukraine have been hit three times in three months, with the latest attack on Thursday. “An air attack in kyiv oblast hit one of the main WHO warehouses, where humanitarian medical equipment and supplies were stored,” a WHO spokesperson said from Geneva.

The trend

Back in the game? Donald Trump takes control of the Ukrainian file. kyiv announces that its emissaries, Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner, will be in kyiv on Sunday, for the first time, as part of the conflict resolution plan proposed by the American president, which has fallen somewhat into oblivion since the start of the events in Iran.

Our file on the war in Ukraine

The Ukrainian president announced Friday that there would be no airstrikes against Russia during the visit of Donald Trump's emissaries to Moscow and asked Russia for reciprocity when these two American officials are in kyiv on Sunday.

Except that, for the moment, the Kremlin has not confirmed a stopover in Russia for the two American mediators.