Security Service of Ukraine
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Shooting between SBU and HUR in Kyiv leads to dismissals and dismissal announcements at top of both services
On the night of 1 September into the morning of 2 September 2026, a shooting on Yurii Shumskoho Street in Kyiv's Berezniaky district brought the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR) into an armed confrontation during investigative actions at the apartment of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy combat commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), who had been missing since 23 August. Three HUR servicemembers were wounded. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident "absolutely shameful," signed a decree dismissing Oleh Khramov from the SBU Department of State Secrets Protection and Licensing, and announced that deputies of the heads of both the SBU and HUR would also be dismissed. On 3 September, Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said two participants — an SBU officer and a HUR servicemember — had been served with notices of suspicion.
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Ukraine's military intelligence warns of disinformation campaign amid clash with SBU
On 3 September, Ukraine's Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) said a targeted disinformation campaign is being rolled out to discredit military intelligence and its combat units. The warning came the day after an armed shootout in Kyiv between HUR-affiliated personnel and SBU operatives linked to the detention of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, who is accused by the SBU of ties to Russia's FSB.
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Ukraine's SBU says it foiled alleged FSB plot to kill Chechen exile Zakayev; shootout with GUR in Kyiv sparks inter-agency crisis
Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) announced on 3 September that it had prevented an alleged FSB-ordered plot to assassinate Akhmed Zakayev, the exiled head of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria's government, who had travelled to Kyiv for Independence Day on 24 August. The SBU named Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov as the alleged organizer. The case triggered a shootout between SBU and military intelligence (GUR) operatives in Kyiv's Berezniaky district on 2 September that left three GUR personnel wounded, and has escalated into an open clash between the two agencies over who is telling the truth about what happened.
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Assassination attempt on senior Russian bomber commander near Engels airbase
An unknown assailant on a motorcycle shot and critically wounded an officer of the Russian Aerospace Forces in the settlement of Probuzhdeniye, Engels district, Saratov Oblast, on the morning of 3 September 2026. Russian media identified the victim as Major General Mykola Varpakhovych, commander of the 22nd Guards Heavy Bomber Aviation Division. The Investigative Committee of Russia opened a criminal case on attempted murder and illegal arms trafficking charges. President Volodymyr Zelensky commented on the attempt in his evening address.
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Armed clash between SBU and military intelligence erupts in Kyiv during search tied to Russian Volunteer Corps figure
An armed confrontation between officers of Ukraine's SBU and HUR military intelligence broke out overnight on September 2, 2026, in Kyiv's Berezniaky neighborhood, leaving three HUR servicemen wounded. The incident, linked to the case of RDK deputy combat commander Stepan Kaplunov, has prompted President Zelensky to demand explanations and dismiss a senior SBU official.
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SBU says its officers were attacked during FSB-terror probe in Kyiv; attackers found to be members of Ukraine's Defense Forces
Ukraine's SBU security service says its operational-investigative group was attacked during a search in a case involving an FSB-planned terrorist act against a Russian opposition figure in Kyiv. The SBU's Alpha special unit opened fire on the attackers, some of whom were wounded before being detained. The SBU later said the detained individuals belonged to a unit of Ukraine's Defense Forces. Head of the Office of the President Kyrylo Budanov said the State Bureau of Investigation and the Office of the Prosecutor General are handling the situation.
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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.