Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned a shootout between members of Ukraine’s two leading intelligence and security agencies in Kyiv on Wednesday (September 2), calling the incident “absolutely shameful” and ordering an investigation. The confrontation reportedly involved officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR), with three officers reported injured.
The incident occurred on Yuriya Shumskoho Street in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district during an operation reportedly connected to an alleged Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) plot. Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office said SBU officers had been ordered to prevent an unspecified “terrorist act” by Russia. During a search at an address, however, a group of armed men allegedly attacked the SBU operational-investigative team and attempted to prevent officers from carrying out investigative measures. The SBU’s Alpha special forces were subsequently deployed and the attackers detained. The Prosecutor General’s Office said those involved belonged to a unit of Ukraine’s Defense Forces, while Ukrainian media attributed them to HUR.
Reports linked the operation to Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), a unit composed of Russian nationals fighting against Moscow on Ukraine’s side. The RDK had reported that Kaplunov disappeared near his home several days earlier, although Ukrainian authorities have not confirmed that he was abducted or established his current whereabouts. Earlier on Wednesday, the SBU said it had worked with HUR to thwart an FSB attack against a Russian opposition figure who had arrived in Ukraine for Independence Day.
The confrontation prompted a strong response from Zelenskyy, who ordered prosecutors and investigators to examine the incident and dismissed a senior SBU official. “Here in Ukraine, shooting is only permissible at Russian occupiers in defence of Ukraine,” he said, adding that the state would not accept other shootouts as permissible. Former HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov also called for a “thorough and impartial investigation,” saying that no one should be allowed to kidnap servicemen or open fire on Ukrainian streets with impunity.
The incident came amid a seventh consecutive day of intense Russian attacks on Kyiv. Russian drones struck the capital on Wednesday, injuring 11 people and damaging residential and university buildings. Strikes also hit Odesa’s energy infrastructure, cutting power to more than 350,000 homes, while attacks on Dnipro killed two people and wounded eight.
Source: commonspace.eu with Kyiv Post (Kyiv) and The Guardian (London).
