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Shooting Between Ukrainian Security Services in Kyiv Prompts SBU Official's Dismissal

Updated 3 September 2026

A shooting involving Ukraine's SBU and military intelligence personnel occurred during a search of a Russian Volunteer Corps commander's apartment in Kyiv. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident shameful and dismissed an SBU department head, while investigations into the confrontation continue.

Why it matters

The confrontation exposed a breakdown in coordination between two of Ukraine's principal security services on a residential street in the capital during wartime. Zelensky's immediate personnel response and demand for accountability underscore the political significance of the clash, while reported injuries among GUR personnel highlight its human cost.

What happened

On 2 September, a shooting occurred on Yuriya Shumskoho Street in Kyiv's Berezniaky district during an SBU search of the apartment of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a Russian-volunteer unit operating within GUR MoD's Tymur special unit. Kaplunov had been taken from near his home on 23 August by unidentified people who presented themselves as police, according to his account, and was returned to the apartment nine days later. The SBU said its operational-investigative group was attacked and blocked by vehicles while conducting urgent investigative actions. It said Alpha special unit personnel used weapons to stop armed resistance, causing injuries. The Tymur unit's commander said SBU officers opened fire without warning on unarmed GUR representatives. Ukrainian media reported that three GUR personnel were wounded, one seriously. Zelensky called the incident "absolutely shameful" and ordered accountability, including personnel decisions. He signed a decree dismissing Oleh Vitaliyovych Khramov as head of the SBU Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing; the official reasons for the dismissal were not stated. Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Office of the President and former GUR chief, called for a thorough and impartial investigation. The State Bureau of Investigation is investigating, and the Office of the Prosecutor General opened proceedings over threats and an attempted threat to a law-enforcement officer's life.

How Ukrainian sources describe it

Ukrainian reporting focuses heavily on the clash between two Ukrainian security services, Kaplunov's account of his detention and alleged psychological pressure, and the Tymur unit's assertion that its unarmed personnel were fired upon without warning. Coverage also emphasizes the reported history of rivalry between the SBU and GUR, while giving prominent attention to Zelensky's condemnation, Budanov's call for an impartial investigation, and Khramov's dismissal. The SBU's account of an FSB-linked assassination plot and Kaplunov's alleged admissions is presented alongside his and his lawyer's claims that the admissions were coerced.

Where reporting differs

The central disputes concern who initiated the confrontation, whether Kaplunov genuinely had FSB contacts, and whether his 23 August detention was an unlawful abduction or a legitimate counterintelligence operation. The SBU says GUR-linked personnel attacked its investigative group and that it used weapons only to stop armed resistance; GUR's Tymur commander says SBU officers fired first and without warning at unarmed personnel, while RDK commander Denys Kapustin said only SBU personnel opened fire. The SBU says Kaplunov admitted FSB contacts and that correspondence with an FSB representative was found on his phone, but Kaplunov and his lawyer say the admission was made under psychological pressure and threats. They also dispute whether the alleged FSB assassination-prevention operation was a legitimate counterterror effort or a cover for his detention. Reports of three wounded GUR personnel also differ from the SBU's description of injuries among unspecified people it calls resisters.

Background

The Russian Volunteer Corps is a Russian-volunteer combat unit operating within GUR MoD structures, including the Tymur special unit. The SBU and GUR MoD are separate Ukrainian services with overlapping areas of activity, and the incident has been discussed in the context of longstanding inter-service rivalry. An anonymous source cited by Babel identified Akhmed Zakayev, leader of the government-in-exile of the unrecognised Chechen Republic of Ichkeria, as the Russian opposition figure allegedly targeted in the plot; the SBU did not publicly name him. Sources citing retired SBU Major General Viktor Yahun say Kyrylo Budanov no longer headed GUR as of January 2026 and that Lieutenant General Oleh Ivashchenko was the current head of military intelligence.

Sources