Shootout erupts between Ukraine's SBU and military intelligence during probe of alleged Russian plot
A gunfight broke out in Kyiv on Sept. 2 between the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) while they were investigating a suspected Russian FSB operation targeting a Russian opposition figure.
A confrontation between Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) turned violent on the morning of Sept. 2 in Kyiv, according to the Prosecutor General's Office. The clash occurred while the agencies were investigating an alleged Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) plot aimed at Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, who had been in Ukraine for Independence Day celebrations.
The Prosecutor General's Office said SBU officers were attacked by "one of the units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine" during the investigation, and that law-enforcement officers responded with weapons. Presidential adviser Dmytro Lytvyn identified the two units involved as the SBU and HUR.
A lawyer representing Kaplunov told Ukrainian television that three people were injured in the shootout and said President Volodymyr Zelensky instructed the heads of both services to brief the public on the incident. President's Office chief Kyrylo Budanov called for a "thorough and impartial investigation."
Incidents of armed conflict between HUR and the SBU are uncommon but have occurred before, including the 2022 killing of banker Denys Kireyev, who had worked for HUR and was later accused of treason. In 2023, former HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov claimed Kireyev was killed by SBU operatives.