A gun battle broke out early Thursday in Kyiv between two branches of Ukraine's security services, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR), officials confirmed. The shootout occurred as the SBU was investigating an alleged Russian terrorist plot targeting a Russian opposition figure residing in the Ukrainian capital.
The SBU stated that a group of individuals attacked their officers, attempting to impede the investigation and blocking their path with vehicles. SBU officers returned fire, resulting in injuries to some of the attackers, who were later identified as belonging to a unit of the Defence Forces of Ukraine, specifically military intelligence.
Footage circulating on social media depicted masked, armed men confronting each other in the dark. Gunshots could be heard in one video taken from a tower block, and another clip showed armed men advancing under a streetlamp. The area was subsequently cordoned off, and images from the scene appeared to show at least two injured men receiving medical attention.
A source identified the target of the alleged Russian plot as Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a group that fights alongside Ukraine against Russian forces. The RVC had previously reported that Kaplunov was abducted from his home days before the incident.
Presidential Adviser Dmytro Lytvyn reported that President Volodymyr Zelensky was angered by the confrontation and demanded explanations from the heads of both agencies. Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine's presidential office, called for a thorough and impartial investigation into the clash.
While rare, incidents between the HUR and SBU have occurred previously. In March 2022, the body of banker Denys Kireyev, who was involved in peace talks and worked for HUR, was found with a gunshot wound. At the time, Budanov, then head of HUR, accused the SBU of his death, a claim the presidential office later linked to poor coordination among Ukrainian special services early in the war.
The shootout took place amidst a heightened Russian air campaign against Ukraine. Earlier on Thursday, Russian drones struck central Kyiv, injuring nine people and damaging buildings. Russia also attacked power facilities in the southern Odesa region, cutting power to over 350,000 homes. President Putin had indicated an increase in strikes, prompting Ukrainian officials to lament the international response to these escalations. In Dnipro, Russian strikes killed two people and wounded eight, damaging warehouses and educational buildings.