HUR chief plays down September 2 shooting with SBU as an isolated incident
Oleg Ivashchenko, head of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR), said in an interview with Ukrinform that there is no 'war' between the SBU and HUR and that the September 2 shooting in Kyiv between personnel of the two services should not be extrapolated into an institutional conflict. He called the incident 'unacceptable,' said its assessment belongs to law enforcement, and argued for personal rather than collective responsibility. His comments came amid continuing investigations, competing official narratives, and accusations from both agencies of disinformation campaigns.
Key points
- September 2 shooting in Kyiv's Dniprovskyi district involved personnel of the SBU and HUR
- HUR head Oleg Ivashchenko said the incident does not amount to a conflict between the agencies and should not be generalized
- Ivashchenko called the shooting 'unacceptable' and said it must be assessed by law enforcement
- He argued for personal responsibility — 'no corporate immunity, but also no collective guilt'
- The shooting is linked to the case of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), who was reported abducted on September 1 and later released
- The SBU said the two services jointly prevented an FSB-directed plot against a Russian opposition figure visiting Ukraine for Independence Day; media named Akhmed Zakayev as the alleged target
- Both the Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Bureau of Investigation have opened proceedings into the confrontation
Why it matters
The confrontation publicly pitted two of Ukraine's most powerful wartime security agencies against each other at a moment of acute strain from the war. Ivashchenko's interview is an attempt to contain the political fallout and stop the episode from being framed as an institutional 'war' between the SBU and HUR. The competing official accounts, parallel disinformation accusations and ongoing criminal probes leave unresolved questions about accountability in the Kaplunov case and about how the two services coordinate operations against Russian intelligence.
What happened
On September 2, a shooting broke out in Kyiv's Dniprovskyi district between personnel of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) of the Ministry of Defense, in circumstances linked to the case of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). The RDK had reported Kaplunov's abduction on September 1; he was later released. The SBU said the two services had jointly prevented an FSB-organized plot against a Russian opposition figure visiting Ukraine for Independence Day; media initially tied the plot to Kaplunov and later identified the alleged target as Chechen exile leader Akhmed Zakayev. The SBU's version is that officers were conducting an urgent counter-terrorism search when they were attacked by individuals later identified as belonging to a unit of Ukraine's Defense Forces; the SBU's Alpha unit was engaged and used weapons, with some of those resisting wounded. The HUR's Timur unit commander said SBU officers had 'kidnapped in broad daylight' a HUR combat commander without formal charges. On September 3 the SBU published video in which Kaplunov admitted contacts with the FSB, and released screenshots of correspondence allegedly from his phone; Kaplunov denied cooperating voluntarily and said his admission was extracted under pressure. The Office of the Prosecutor General opened a pre-trial investigation into threats against and attempted murder of a law enforcement officer; the State Bureau of Investigation also opened a probe into the circumstances of the confrontation. On September 4 a court released on personal recognizance the SBU and HUR personnel directly involved. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident 'shameful' and demanded personnel decisions and internal investigations. On September 7, HUR head Oleh Ivashchenko told Ukrinform there is no 'war' between the SBU and HUR, called the shooting unacceptable, and argued that responsibility must be personal rather than collective.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage frames the story through Ivashchenko's interview, presenting the shooting as an isolated, unacceptable incident rather than a clash between institutions. Reporting places the competing narratives from the SBU, HUR, the Office of the Prosecutor General and the State Bureau of Investigation side by side, and foregrounds Zelensky's demand for personnel accountability and internal probes within both services. The mutual accusations of disinformation — HUR against bloggers, media and Telegram channels, and the SBI against those accusing it of leaking SBU data — are presented as a parallel feature of the fallout.
Where reporting differs
Sources disagree on three main points. First, the identity of the Russian opposition figure the alleged FSB plot targeted: media initially linked the case to Kaplunov's disappearance, later named Akhmed Zakayev, and the SBU ultimately alleged that Kaplunov himself was preparing the attempt on FSB orders. Second, whether Kaplunov was a coerced witness or a willing FSB collaborator: the SBU says he admitted contacts with the FSB and was plotting attacks; Kaplunov denies cooperating voluntarily and says his admission was extracted under psychological pressure. Third, how the September 2 confrontation began: the HUR's Timur unit commander says SBU officers kidnapped a HUR combat commander in broad daylight without formal charges, while the SBU says it was conducting an urgent counter-terrorism search and was attacked by individuals trying to obstruct it.
Background
The episode is rooted in the September 1 report by the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) that its deputy commander, Stepan Kaplunov, had been abducted in Kyiv. The shooting the following day turned a covert operation into a public confrontation between the SBU and HUR. The SBU said the two services had jointly prevented an FSB-directed assassination of a Russian opposition figure who had come to Ukraine for Independence Day. HUR accused media, bloggers and Telegram channels of running a targeted disinformation campaign against military intelligence. President Zelensky called the incident 'shameful' and demanded personnel decisions and internal investigations within both services. On September 4 a court released the directly involved SBU and HUR personnel on personal recognizance.