Why Was There A Shoot-Out In Kyiv Between Security and Intelligence Agents?
The clash followed a dispute over Stepan Kaplunov and prompted rival claims of kidnapping and a Russian plot, with the presidential office ordering an investigation.
- On Wednesday morning, September 2, 2026, a shootout erupted in Kyiv between Ukraine's Security Service of Ukraine and the Ministry of Defense's Main Intelligence Directorate , leaving three people injured in the confrontation.
- Tensions intensified after the SBU detained Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the HUR-backed Russian Volunteer Corps, accusing him of collaborating with Russia's Federal Security Service to plot an assassination.
- The SBU claimed its agents faced "armed resistance" during an investigation, while the Timur Special Forces unit alleged the SBU kidnapped Kaplunov "in broad daylight," presenting starkly different versions of the apartment confrontation.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the incident as an "absolutely shameful situation" on Wednesday and ordered an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation , while dismissing Oleh Khramov, head of the SBU department for protection and state secrets.
- Kyrylo Budanov, former HUR chief now serving in the presidential office, called for an independent probe, noting that rivalries between agencies for influence and resources have intensified following recent leadership changes at both organizations.
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34 Articles
The SBU and the GUR stand up for the arrest of a Russian mercenary who was fighting as a volunteer for Ukraine. More information: Former Minister of Defence of Ukraine expelled by Zelenski demands elections: "The State must live up to its people"
An armed confrontation between Ukrainian security officials and a special military intelligence unit broke out on Wednesday, 2 September, in the centre of the capital, forcing Volodymyr Zelensky to order an investigation.
Clash between the men of internal security and the spies of the army. At the center of the story is the role of the Russian Stepan Kaplunov
Members of the two main intelligence services of Ukraine entered into confrontation on the streets of Kiev, exposing a rivalry between the organs and revealing a growing dispute for power within the defense forces of the country. The exchange of shots took place on the morning of Wednesday, after hours of impasse between agents of the military intelligence service — known as HUR — and the internal intelligence agency of the country — the Ukraini…
One Ukrainian intelligence agency claims to have captured a Russian spy, while the other stands firmly behind its man. This resulted in a shootout in which at least three people were injured.
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