Full Breakdown
Shootout Between Ukraine’s SBU and Military Intelligence Highlights Agency Rivalry
9/4/2026, 11:14:19 AM
Core Event
- On September 2, 2026 a gunfight broke out on Yuriya Shumskoho Street in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district between officers of the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR). Three HUR personnel were injured, including one with a severed artery.
Background & Context
- The clash followed the August 23, 2026 disappearance of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). Kaplunov was detained by the SBU and forced to sign a confession of cooperation with Russian intelligence, which he later retracted.
- The SBU said its operation aimed to prevent a Moscow-inspired plot to assassinate Russian anti-Kremlin activists. HUR framed the incident as a response to the SBU’s search of Kaplunov’s apartment and alleged unlawful detention.
Timeline
- August 23, 2026 – Kaplunov disappears; SBU later detains him.
- September 2, 2026 – Shootout; three HUR officers injured.
- September 3, 2026 – President Volodymyr Zelensky announces an internal investigation and dismisses Oleh Khramov, head of the SBU’s Department for State Secrets Protection.
Data & Statistics
- Injured personnel: three HUR members (one with a severed artery).
- Personnel actions: deputy heads of both agencies slated for dismissal; Oleh Khramov removed from his SBU post.
Official Statements & Responses
- President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident “absolutely disgraceful,” demanded accountability, and ordered internal investigations within both services. Notices of suspicion were issued to two servicemen from each agency.
- The SBU asserted its officers were responding to an armed attack while attempting to foil a terrorist act allegedly organized by Russia’s FSB. It claimed the HUR unit tried to obstruct the investigation.
- HUR officials described the clash as a “standoff” triggered by the SBU’s search of Kaplunov’s apartment and warned the agency was being targeted by a smear campaign.
- Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko said the Prosecutor General’s Office and the State Bureau of Investigation would examine testimony and reconstruct events step by step.
Criticism & Opposition
- Taras Borovskyi, Kaplunov’s lawyer, dismissed the SBU’s claim of preventing a Russian terrorist plot, calling it a “PR stunt” and arguing the SBU’s actions lacked legal basis.
On-the-Ground Reports
- Witnesses reported gunfire echoing through the central Kyiv courtyard, with police cordoning off the area. Medical reports confirmed the three injuries among HUR personnel, including the severed-artery case that required emergency surgery.
Conflicting Reports & Gaps
- The SBU frames the incident as a defensive response to an armed attack linked to a Russian-backed plot; HUR emphasizes the dispute over Kaplunov’s detention and the SBU’s search of his residence. Independent verification of the alleged terrorist plot is absent.
- Kaplunov’s current location remains unclear; he has reportedly been released but his whereabouts are not publicly known.
Verbatim Quotes
- “It is important that the truth come out. And that situations like this do not recur,” — Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian president
- “There must be accountability—including personnel decisions by the heads of the security services regarding the individuals involved—and internal investigations must be conducted within both agencies,” — Volodymyr Zelensky, Ukrainian president
What’s Next
- An internal investigation by both agencies will determine responsibility and guide personnel decisions for the deputy heads of the SBU and HUR. The Prosecutor General’s Office has pledged a step-by-step reconstruction of the incident.
