HUR warns of disinformation campaign targeting military intelligence amid SBU clash

Why it matters

The warning is a rare public statement from one of Ukraine's security agencies about an information operation targeting itself, and it lands in the middle of an open confrontation between HUR and the SBU — two wartime security bodies whose public dispute is itself the story. HUR framed the alleged campaign as involving paid placements in dubious media and Telegram channels, a notable escalation of its appeal to journalists. President Zelensky's intervention, including a dismissal and public criticism of both agencies' leaders, signals high-level political concern over the fallout and the credibility of Ukraine's security services.

What happened

On 3 September, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) posted a statement on its Telegram channel saying a targeted disinformation campaign was being rolled out to discredit military intelligence and HUR combat units. HUR said the organisers planned to use media outlets, bloggers and Telegram channels with questionable reputations, including in exchange for payment, and urged the public to trust only verified official sources. It asked journalists and bloggers to contact law enforcement immediately if approached with offers to publish unverified material, and reaffirmed that HUR units continue to carry out combat and special tasks against Russian aggression. HUR did not name the likely organisers of the campaign.

The statement came a day after an armed clash on Shumskoho Street in Kyiv's Berezniaky district between SBU operatives and a group linked to Ukraine's Defence Forces. The SBU said the incident occurred during investigative actions connected to alleged FSB contacts by Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), a unit within HUR's structure. The SBU's Alpha special unit used weapons and detained attackers, with several HUR fighters wounded. On 1 September the RDK had reported that Kaplunov had been "abducted by unknown persons" from his home, and Kaplunov himself said he was taken on 23 August by people posing as police and forced to confess to FSB contacts under threats. On 3 September the SBU released video in which Kaplunov appeared to acknowledge those contacts and an attempted recruitment to eliminate members of the Defence Forces; Kaplunov, his lawyer Taras Borovsky and RDK commander Denys Kapustin reject the confession as coerced.

On the same day as HUR's statement, President Volodymyr Zelensky dismissed Oleh Khramov, head of the SBU's department for state secrets protection and licensing, and publicly called the SBU–HUR incident "shameful," demanding personnel decisions from the heads of the special services. The Office of the Prosecutor General opened pre-trial investigations into both the Kyiv shooting and Kaplunov's alleged abduction.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

All of the supplied sources are Ukrainian outlets, and the coverage centres HUR's own statement and its appeals to media and bloggers. Ukrainian-language headlines use neutral or HUR-aligned wording — "HUR reports a campaign to discredit military intelligence" or "HUR warns of an information campaign" — and several outlets place the warning inside the broader SBU–HUR conflict, the 2 September shooting and the competing accounts around Stepan Kaplunov. Sources that have looked at the underlying incident present the SBU's narrative alongside Kaplunov's, his lawyer's and RDK commander Denys Kapustin's denials, rather than adopting either side as settled.

Where reporting differs

Two main points of disagreement appear in the sources. First, the SBU describes Stepan Kaplunov's on-camera confession as genuine and says he was detained during investigative actions, while Kaplunov, his lawyer Taras Borovsky and RDK commander Denys Kapustin say he was abducted on 23 August by people posing as police and that the confession was coerced under threats, with his whereabouts after release unknown (reported by Громадське радіо and НВ). Second, sources differ on whether the SBU's claim of having jointly prevented an FSB-ordered assassination attempt was an agreed joint operation: one source notes that the SBU's "joint operation" framing initially appeared on HUR's official pages but was later removed (Громадське радіо).

Background

The immediate backdrop is an armed clash on 2 September on Shumskoho Street in Kyiv's Berezniaky district between SBU and HUR personnel; the SBU's Alpha special unit used weapons and several fighters from the Defence Forces side were wounded. The SBU linked the clash to investigative actions concerning alleged FSB contacts by RDK deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov, whose disappearance the RDK reported on 1 September; Kaplunov says he was taken on 23 August by people posing as police and coerced into confessing. On 3 September the SBU released video in which Kaplunov appeared to acknowledge FSB contacts and an attempted recruitment — a claim he rejects. The Office of the Prosecutor General opened pre-trial investigations into both the Kyiv shooting and Kaplunov's alleged abduction. On 3 September President Zelensky dismissed Oleh Khramov, head of the SBU's department for state secrets protection and licensing, and called the SBU–HUR incident "shameful."