Zelensky dismisses senior SBU official after GUR–SBU shootout in Kyiv
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed a decree on 2 September dismissing Oleh Vitaliyovych Khramov from the post of head of the SBU's Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing. The dismissal follows an armed clash between personnel of Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) in Kyiv's Dnipro district, connected to the reported abduction of Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov. Zelensky publicly framed the episode as unacceptable and signaled further personnel accountability.
Key points
- On 2 September 2026, President Zelensky signed decree No. 868/2026 dismissing Oleh Vitaliyovych Khramov as head of the SBU's Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing.
- Khramov had held the post since March 2023; the decree does not state a reason for the dismissal.
- The dismissal follows a shootout between GUR and SBU personnel in Kyiv's Dnipro district on the morning of 2 September.
- On 1 September the Russian Volunteer Corps said its deputy commander for combat operations, Stepan Kaplunov, had been kidnapped by unknown persons in the courtyard of a building.
- The SBU said it and GUR had jointly prevented a terrorist attack allegedly organized by Russia's FSB against a leader of a Russian opposition national movement who had arrived in Ukraine.
- According to Ukrainska Pravda, three GUR officers were injured in the conflict; the Office of the Prosecutor General opened pretrial proceedings over threats and assault on law enforcement officers.
- President Zelensky said shooting in Ukraine is allowed only against Russian occupiers and that other armed clashes would not be tolerated.
Why it matters
The dismissal links a senior personnel decision inside Ukraine's main security agency directly to an armed confrontation between two state security structures on the streets of Kyiv. It raises questions about inter-agency coordination and command accountability at a time when Ukraine's special services are actively engaged against Russia. The episode also involves competing public claims about a Russian Volunteer Corps commander — alleged FSB ties according to the SBU, unlawful abduction according to the unit — complicating Kyiv's relationship with Russian opposition fighters operating on Ukrainian soil. Zelensky's framing of the event as zero-tolerance signals that further dismissals or disciplinary action are likely.
What happened
President Volodymyr Zelensky signed decree No. 868/2026 on 2 September dismissing Oleh Vitaliyovych Khramov from the post of head of the SBU's Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing; the decree was published on the Office of the President's website and gave no reason for the dismissal. The move came in the wake of an armed clash in Kyiv's Dnipro district on the morning of 2 September between personnel of Ukraine's military intelligence (GUR, also known as HUR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU). The confrontation was linked by social media and by the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) to the disappearance the previous day of RDK deputy commander for combat operations Stepan Kaplunov, whom the RDK said had been kidnapped in the courtyard of a building by unknown persons. Kaplunov's lawyer Taras Borovsky said law enforcement officers had come to the fighter's home to "plant something prohibited" before his comrades arrived and gunfire was heard on the street. According to Ukrainska Pravda, three GUR officers were injured. Investigators from the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) and the head of the SBU's "Alpha" special unit arrived at the scene; the Office of the Prosecutor General opened pretrial proceedings over threats and assault on law enforcement officers. The SBU separately stated that it and GUR had jointly prevented a terrorist attack allegedly organized by Russia's FSB against a leader of a Russian opposition national movement who had arrived in Ukraine, and described the incident as an armed attack on its investigative-operational group by members of a Defense Forces unit. Zelensky publicly tied the dismissal to the incident and signaled further accountability measures.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
All available sources are Ukrainian-language outlets and agencies. Coverage centers on the presidential decree and its connection to the GUR–SBU shootout, emphasizing President Zelensky's public stance that armed clashes inside Ukraine are unacceptable and will bring accountability. Ukrainian reporting highlights the involvement of top officials — Zelensky and Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov — and law-enforcement bodies (SBU, DBR, Office of the Prosecutor General), framing the response as a matter of state authority and internal discipline within the security services.
Where reporting differs
Sources differ on what happened to Stepan Kaplunov and who initiated the armed confrontation. The Russian Volunteer Corps and the commander of GUR's "Timur" special unit describe Kaplunov as kidnapped in broad daylight by SBU officers and held without charges; Kaplunov rejects the SBU's claims of FSB links. The SBU instead frames the incident as an armed attack on its investigative-operational group during a counter-terrorist operation against an alleged FSB-organized plot, with attackers described as members of a Defense Forces unit who were detained. There are also differing emphases on casualties: Ukrainska Pravda reports three GUR officers were injured, while other outlets mention shots fired and an armed attack on the SBU group without specifying injuries. Coverage of the dismissal itself varies in detail — some articles simply note that Zelensky signed the decree, while others add the decree number (868/2026), its publication on the Office of the President's website, Khramov's tenure since March 2023, and the absence of a stated reason.
Background
Oleh Khramov had headed the SBU's Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing since March 2023. The Russian Volunteer Corps is a unit of fighters against Russia operating within Ukraine's Defense Forces and falls under GUR's "Timur" special unit. The dismissal decree (No. 868/2026) was published on the website of the Office of the President of Ukraine and did not state reasons for the dismissal. The incident occurred against the backdrop of the SBU's stated claim, jointly with GUR, that it had prevented an FSB-organized terrorist attack against a leader of a Russian opposition national movement who had arrived in Ukraine.