A violent shootout between two of Ukraine’s premier intelligence agencies has wounded at least three security officials in Kyiv, exposing deep internal divisions within the nation`s security apparatus, according to Al Jazeera and Reuters.
The armed confrontation erupted in the capital’s Dniprovskyi district between the Main Directorate of Intelligence, the military foreign intelligence arm known as HUR, and the State Security Service, the domestic counterterrorism agency known as SBU. The incident unfolded after SBU operatives detained Stepan Kaplunov, the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a military unit fighting for Ukraine that operates as a subordinate of HUR.
According to the Prosecutor General’s Office, SBU officers were executing an operation to thwart a potential terrorist action linked to Russia`s Federal Security Service. During the search, armed individuals belonging to a defense forces unit—identified by local reports as HUR personnel—arrived at the scene, attempted to block law enforcement vehicles, and intervened in the operation.
Representatives from HUR accused the SBU of unlawfully abducting Kaplunov in broad daylight and initiating gunfire against their officers. Legal representation for Kaplunov confirmed that multiple HUR officers sustained gunshot wounds during the exchange and remain hospitalized, with two in serious condition.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the shootout, describing it as an entirely disgraceful situation that warrants immediate accountability and rigorous internal investigations. In response to the security failure, Zelenskyy dismissed Oleg Khramov, head of the SBU’s Department for the Protection of State Secrets, while other senior officials called for an impartial inquiry. This internal clash coincides with a broader leadership shakeup across Ukraine`s defense and security establishments amid the ongoing war with Russia.
