A gun battle broke out early this morning in Kyiv between two branches of Ukraine's security services as they conducted an investigation into an alleged Russian terrorist plot targeting a Russian opposition figure residing in the Ukrainian capital. The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) stated that a group of individuals attacked their officers, attempting to obstruct the investigation and block law enforcement vehicles.
The SBU reported that its officers returned fire, resulting in injuries to some of the attackers. Following their detention, it was discovered that the individuals belonged to a unit of Ukraine's Defence Forces, later identified by Presidential Adviser Dmytro Lytvyn as part of Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR).
Footage shared on social media depicted masked and armed individuals confronting each other in the darkness, with rapid gunfire audible in the urban setting. Images from the scene showed paramedics tending to at least two individuals on the ground. The area was cordoned off as investigators arrived.
A source told the Kyiv Independent that the intended target of the alleged Russian plot was Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a group fighting alongside Ukraine against Russian forces. The RVC had previously reported Kaplunov's abduction by unknown individuals.
Presidential Adviser Dmytro Lytvyn stated that President Volodymyr Zelensky had expressed strong disapproval of the incident and ordered the heads of both agencies to provide public explanations. Kyrylo Budanov, head of Zelensky's presidential office, called for a thorough and impartial investigation.
Incidents between the HUR and SBU, while rare, have occurred previously. In March 2022, the body of banker Denys Kireyev, who had been associated with HUR and involved in peace talks, was found with a gunshot wound to the head. At the time, Budanov, then head of HUR, publicly accused the SBU of Kireyev's death, though Zelensky's office later attributed the death to poor coordination among Ukrainian special services early in the war.
The shootout occurred amidst a surge in Russian drone attacks on Kyiv. Earlier on Wednesday, Russian drones struck central Kyiv, wounding nine people and damaging residential and university buildings. Over the past week, these attacks have resulted in dozens of civilian casualties and disrupted logistics. Russia also struck power facilities in the southern Odesa region, cutting power to over 350,000 homes, and attacked the city of Dnipro, killing two and wounding eight.