No Safe Haven Left in Kyiv: Government and Diplomatic Facilities Hit in City Center

Anxiety is mounting among citizens as government and diplomatic facilities in the heart of Kyiv, Ukraine's capital—long considered a safe zone—have been struck by successive Russian drone attacks.

According to foreign media outlets including Reuters and local media on the 29th (local time), two major government facilities in downtown Kyiv have been targeted by Russian drones this month.

On the 5th, the headquarters of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), the country's intelligence agency, was attacked by a Russian jet-propelled drone.

This marks the first time the SBU building has been hit since the war broke out following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

The previous day, the National Academy of Sciences, Ukraine's top comprehensive academic and research institution, was attacked, leaving one person dead.

Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, a prestigious university in the capital, decided to switch classes to remote learning starting today due to the surge in daytime Russian attacks.

The National Academy of Sciences, Taras Shevchenko National University, and the SBU are all located near Volodymyrska Street in central Kyiv.

This area is the core of Kyiv densely packed with major government and diplomatic facilities, including embassies and government offices, and has historically seen relatively few Russian attacks.

On the 27th, a building used as the residence of the Saudi Arabian ambassador to Kyiv was damaged in a Russian drone attack.

While Kyiv has been a continuous target for Russia since the outbreak of the war, the central district packed with government and diplomatic facilities had been considered relatively safe.

However, as government and diplomatic facilities have suffered successive damage from recent Russian strikes, a sense of crisis is growing that no safe haven remains.

(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.