Armed clash between SBU and HUR in Kyiv, Zelensky: an absolutely shameful situation

The center of Kyiv was engulfed in a shootout between two of Ukraine’s main security structures, during an operation related to the investigation of a suspected Russian plot against a Russian opposition figure.

Officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and members of the Military Intelligence Service (HUR) were involved in the incident. The focus was Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a formation that fights alongside Ukraine against Russian forces.

The SBU had announced that it had prevented a suspected terrorist attack, organized by the Russian secret service FSB against Kaplunov. A source in the Ukrainian forces said that the leader of the RVC was the target of the plot.

Kaplunov had come to Ukraine to participate in the Independence Day celebrations on August 24. On September 1, RVC announced that he had been “kidnapped by unknown persons in the courtyard of his house”.

This version was denied by representatives of HUR and by Kaplunov’s lawyer.

The Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine stated that SBU officers were attacked by members of a unit of the Ukrainian Defense Forces while conducting investigative actions into the suspected plot.

“During investigative actions in the framework of the FSB terrorist act case, an armed attack on SBU officers occurred,” the Ukrainian prosecutor’s statement said. According to it, weapons were used after the officers faced “armed resistance”.

Dmytro Litvin, adviser to the Ukrainian president, confirmed the involvement of SBU and HUR in the event. He said that Volodymyr Zelensky gathered the heads of both services and demanded that the public be informed about the situation.

Meanwhile, the commander of the HUR special unit “Timur,” which includes the Russian Volunteer Corps, presented another perspective on the incident.

In a video published by Radio Free Europe, he claimed that Kaplunov was “kidnapped in broad daylight” by SBU officers and was held detained without charges.

According to the commander, after negotiations between the two sides and an agreement to follow legal procedures, the SBU began arresting HUR representatives. He also accused SBU officers of shooting at unarmed members of military intelligence.

Taras Borovsky, Kaplunov’s lawyer, said that several HUR members were wounded during the shootout. Two of them, according to his statement, were taken to the hospital in serious condition.

“One was shot in the leg, which cut an artery and is bleeding. He is in very serious condition in the hospital. The second is also hospitalized in serious condition. The third has minor injuries,” Borovsky stated.

The lawyer, who said he was present at the scene, accused the SBU of having searched Kaplunov’s apartment overnight, without the presence of his defense and without a court order.

Borovsky also questioned the timing of the search. He said that Kaplunov had been detained since August 23, while the apartment search took place on September 1. According to him, the reasons for his client’s detention had still not been disclosed.

The lawyer also denied that the SBU had prevented an assassination attempt on Kaplunov, calling this claim an attempt to legitimize an extrajudicial detention.

According to Borovsky, Kaplunov was later released, but his whereabouts were not disclosed.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the incident and described it as “an absolutely shameful situation”.

Zelensky announced that Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the State Bureau of Investigation would lead the investigations to clarify the circumstances of the event.

He warned that those responsible will face accountability and did not rule out changes in the leadership of the security services, as well as internal investigations in the SBU and HUR.

“Here, in Ukraine, you can only shoot against the Russian invaders, defending the country,” the president declared, stressing that no other armed clash between Ukrainian structures is acceptable.

After the incident, Zelensky signed a decree dismissing Oleg Khramov, who headed the department for the protection of state secrets in the SBU.

The latest clash has brought attention back to previous conflicts between Ukrainian security institutions.

In March 2022, Denis Kireyev, a banker who had worked for Ukraine’s military intelligence and had participated in peace negotiations with Russia, was found dead in the center of Kyiv.

A year later, in 2023, Kirill Budanov, then head of HUR, stated that Kireyev was killed by SBU officers during an operation against him.

Later, the Ukrainian presidential office linked Kireyev’s death to the lack of sufficient coordination between the secret services during the early days of the Russian invasion.

The new incident between SBU and HUR occurs as Ukraine continues the war against Russia, adding to concerns about internal clashes and coordination among its security structures.