Shootout Between Ukraine's SBU and Military Intelligence Agencies Investigated
A gunfight broke out in Kyiv between officers of the Security Service of Ukraine and the Military Intelligence Service while they were handling a case linked to a Russian plot, prompting a criminal probe.
A firefight erupted on Yuriya Shums’koho street in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district on Wednesday morning, involving members of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR). The clash occurred as the two agencies were working on a case related to a suspected Russian operation targeting Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a unit of Russian nationals fighting alongside Ukrainian forces.
The Prosecutor General’s Office announced a criminal investigation, stating that SBU officers were ordered to prevent an unspecified “terrorist act” attributed to Russia’s Federal Security Service. During the operation, a group of armed individuals attacked the SBU team, attempting to block law-enforcement vehicles. The SBU’s Alpha special forces unit intervened, and the attackers were later detained. The office identified the assailants as members of a Ukrainian defense unit, with media reports linking them to HUR.
According to local outlet Ukrainska Pravda, officers from the State Bureau of Investigation arrived on the scene and facilitated the disarmament of both sides. While the exact details of the Russian plot remain undisclosed, the RDK reported that Kaplunov had disappeared near his home days earlier, a disappearance that authorities have not officially confirmed.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office and former HUR chief, called for a thorough and impartial investigation, emphasizing that no one should be allowed to abduct servicemen or open fire in city streets.