SBU confirms it was target of ballistic missile attack on Kyiv
The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) has confirmed it was the target of a ballistic missile attack on Kyiv on March 25.
A source in the agency told Kyiv Independent they had prior intelligence warning of the attack and had been expecting it from around 6:00 a.m.
A series of explosions rocked Ukraine's capital around 10:30 a.m. local time in the latest Russian missile strike on the city.
March 25 is the Day of the Security Service of Ukraine.
In a post on Telegram to mark the occasion, Oleksandr Zavitnevych, the chairman of the Committee on National Security, Defence and Intelligence, wrote: "We have all seen the incredible operations of the Security Service of Ukraine, which were powerfully felt by the occupiers.
"We bow our heads to those Heroes who gave their lives for Ukraine. It is our common task to withstand and win the Victory.
"I wish you a speedy Victory, courage and good health!"
Read also: Russia launches another missile attack on Kyiv, at least 2 injured
A previous Russian missile attack on March 21 targeted the SBU's sister agency, Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).
The latest strike saw Russian forces launch two ballistic missiles at Kyiv. Both were intercepted by air defenses, but debris fell on two areas of the city.
In the Pechersk district, the Kyiv State Academy of Decorative and Applied Arts was damaged.
The academy's gym and concert hall were destroyed, according to a Kyiv Independent reporter on the ground, citing the institution's employees.
As of 3:30 p.m. local time, the number of victims in Kyiv's Pecherskiy district rose to 10, according to the State Emergency Service. The Kyiv City Military Administration clarified that out of the 10 victims, two people were wounded and hospitalized, and the remaining eight people suffered from shock.
Klitschko earlier said that among the victims were two pregnant women and a 16-year-old girl.
Serhii Popko, the head of the Kyiv City Military Administration, also said debris had also fallen in the Solomyanskyi district, where a high-rise residential building was damaged. No injuries have been reported there.
Fragments of an intercepted missile were also found in a wooded area in the Holosiivskyi district of Kyiv.
The Kyiv Independent contacted the SBU press office for information on the attack, but the agency's spokesperson was unable to provide a comment at the moment.
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