An armed confrontation between members of two Ukrainian security agencies erupted in central Kyiv on Wednesday, sparking a political crisis and drawing an immediate response from President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, who described the incident as an "absolutely disgraceful situation".
The clash reportedly occurred during an investigation involving Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a paramilitary unit fighting alongside Ukraine and operating under the military intelligence agency HUR.
According to the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), officers were investigating an alleged plot by Russia's FSB to carry out a terrorist attack against Kaplunov.
The SBU said Kaplunov had travelled to Ukraine for Independence Day celebrations on 24 August before being "abducted by unknown individuals from the courtyard of his home", according to a statement posted by the RVC on Telegram.
Ukraine's Prosecutor General's Office said SBU personnel came under armed attack from a Defence Forces unit while conducting the investigation and that police officers used firearms to overcome the resistance.
Zelenskyy's adviser Dmytro Lytvyn confirmed that both the SBU and HUR were involved in the incident, adding that the President summoned the heads of both agencies and instructed them to publicly explain what had happened.
Two competing accounts
The commander of HUR's special "Timur" unit presented a sharply different version of events.
According to him, Kaplunov was "abducted in broad daylight" by SBU officers and detained without charges.
Kaplunov's lawyer, Taras Borovskyi, said three HUR members were injured in the exchange of gunfire, two of them seriously.
He also alleged that the SBU carried out a night-time search of Kaplunov's apartment without a court warrant and dismissed the SBU's account as a "public relations stunt".
Although Kaplunov was later released, his current whereabouts remain unknown.
Zelensky orders investigation
Zelenskyy announced that Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko and the State Bureau of Investigation would examine the incident and determine responsibility.
"Here in Ukraine, one may only shoot at Russian occupiers while defending the country. No other exchange of gunfire will ever be considered acceptable for anyone," Zelenskyy said.
The Ukrainian president subsequently signed a decree dismissing Oleh Khramov, head of the SBU's Department for the Protection of State Secrets.
Meanwhile, Kyrylo Budanov, head of HUR, called for a "thorough and impartial investigation".
Not the first dispute
Violent incidents involving the SBU and HUR are rare but not unprecedented.
In March 2022, banker Denys Kireyev, who worked with HUR and had participated in peace talks with Moscow, was found dead in central Kyiv with a gunshot wound to the head after facing allegations that he was acting as a double agent.
At the time, Budanov claimed Kireyev had been killed by SBU personnel, while the Presidential Office attributed his death to what it described as insufficient coordination between Ukraine's intelligence services.
