A violent confrontation between Ukraine’s two primary intelligence services has left at least three security officials injured, exposing deepening fractures within Kyiv’s security apparatus. The incident occurred on Wednesday morning in the Dniprovskyi district of the capital, involving agents from the State Security Service (SBU) and the Main Directorate of Intelligence (HUR).
According to Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office, SBU operatives were executing an order to prevent a potential terrorist attack attributed to Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). The statement reported that during a search operation, an armed group attacked the investigative team, attempting to block law enforcement vehicles and halt the proceedings. Officials identified the aggressors as members of one of Ukraine’s Defense Forces units, with local media reports pointing specifically to HUR personnel.
Presidential Adviser Dmytro Lytvyn confirmed the involvement of both agencies in the clash. However, conflicting narratives have emerged regarding who initiated the violence. Oleg Khramov, commander of HUR’s special unit “Timur,” accused the SBU of conducting a daytime kidnapping of Stepan Kaplunov, a deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), which operates under HUR. Khramov asserted that SBU officers opened fire on their HUR counterparts at the scene.
Taras Borovskyi, a lawyer for Kaplunov, stated that one HUR officer was shot in the leg and hospitalized in serious condition, while two others were also injured. Kaplunov, a Russian native who moved to Ukraine following the 2014 annexation of Crimea, has been listed as a terrorist by Moscow due to his military service alongside Ukrainian forces.
Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly condemned the event, calling it “an absolutely disgraceful situation.” In a Telegram post, Zelenskyy emphasized that firearms should only be used against Russian occupiers and insisted that accountability measures, including personnel changes, must be enforced within both agencies. He dismissed Oleg Khramov from his position as head of the SBU’s Department for the Protection of State Secrets.
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office and a former HUR chief, called for a thorough and impartial investigation. “No one has the right to kidnap servicemen with impunity or open fire on the streets of our cities,” he said.
The shootout takes place against a backdrop of significant restructuring in Ukraine’s security and defense leadership. Earlier this year, Zelenskyy reshuffled top posts, appointing Budanov as chief of staff and replacing him at the helm of HUR with Oleh Ivashchenko. Additionally, in July, General Oleksandr Syrskii was removed as commander-in-chief following protests sparked by the dismissal of Defense Minister Mykhailo Fedorov.
Analysts note these moves reflect a push to tighten political coordination over coercive institutions. A report by the Carnegie Russia Eurasia Center suggested the changes aim to strengthen the presidential administration’s control over security services, particularly as anti-corruption investigations have recently targeted figures close to the president.
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