A Russian operative positioned within five kilometers of central Kyiv may have helped guide the Shahed drone that struck the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) on Friday, according to a Ukrainian electronic warfare expert and presidential adviser.
Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said he believes the drone may have been controlled in real time through a portable Mesh radio repeater connected to the internet and briefly activated near the target.
“My personal opinion: the Shahed was controlled and guided online via a Mesh radio repeater with internet access, which a Russian agent switched on somewhere nearby – within 5 km – for a short period during the attack,” Beskrestnov said.
He added that such a repeater could be roughly half the size of a school backpack, making it relatively easy to transport and activate temporarily.
Beskrestnov also pointed to the fact that no other Shahed drones were in the air at the time of the strike. In his assessment, that meant the aircraft could not have been controlled through a relay chain involving other drones stretching back toward Russian-controlled territory.
His account has not been independently verified, and Ukrainian authorities have not announced the identification or detention of an operative suspected of helping guide the drone.
If confirmed, however, the assessment would raise fresh concerns about Russia’s ability to combine long-range drone attacks with covert activity inside Ukraine to improve the precision of strikes against sensitive targets.
Drone aimed at SBU chief’s office
The Russian drone struck the SBU’s central headquarters on Volodymyrska Street in the heart of Kyiv on Sept. 4, directly across from the historic St Sophia Cathedral.
President Volodymyr Zelensky said the drone had been deliberately directed at the office of acting SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad. Poklad was not in the office when the drone hit and was unharmed.
The SBU also said the drone deliberately struck Poklad’s office but failed to achieve its intended objective.
At least 12 people were injured in the attack, according to Kyiv authorities, with seven hospitalized. The strike also damaged the exterior of the SBU building.
Zelensky subsequently instructed Poklad to prepare an appropriate and tangible response to the Russian attack, including, where possible, a symmetrical one.
Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha described the strike as a major escalation amid renewed diplomatic efforts aimed at ending Russia’s war against Ukraine.
Strike comes ahead of US envoys’ visit
The attack came as US envoys Steve Witkoff and Jared Kushner prepared to travel to Moscow and Kyiv for another round of US-led diplomacy.
Zelensky said Ukraine would refrain from conducting aerial strikes against Russia during the negotiations to ensure the envoys’ safety and urged Moscow to reciprocate.
Separately, Ukrainian troops were ordered to observe a temporary halt in fighting from Sept. 5 through Sept. 8, according to Ukrainska Pravda, citing military sources. No formal bilateral ceasefire agreement had been announced as of Friday night.