Kyiv Shootout Between SBU and HUR – What We Know

A shootout took place in Kyiv between serving members of the country’s two leading intelligence agencies on Wednesday morning. The incident took place on Yuriya Shums’koho street on the left bank of Kyiv, in the city’s Dniprovskyi district. The street has since been blocked off as of Wednesday afternoon.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Preliminary reports suggest that officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) engaged in a firefight with soldiers from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) while working on a case involving a Russian plot against the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK). The SBU is primarily responsible for domestic intelligence and counterterrorism activities, whereas HUR, as part of the military, is primarily tasked with foreign intelligence and reconnaissance. The RDK is a military unit made up of Russian nationals fighting on behalf of Ukraine against Moscow. What do authorities say? Following media reports of the shooting, Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office issued a statement at 12:10 p.m. announcing a new criminal probe. According to the office, SBU officers received orders to prevent an unspecified “terrorist act” from Russia’s Federal Security Service (SBU). During the operation, a group of armed men is said to have attacked the SBU officers. “During a search at one of the addresses, a group of individuals carried out an armed attack on the SBU operational-investigative group,” the statement says. Other Topics of Interest Ukraine Foils Alleged FSB Terror Plot Against Russian Opposition Leader The alleged plot comes as questions remain over the disappearance of Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov. “They tried to prevent the conduct of investigative actions and blocked the passage of law enforcement officers with cars,” it adds. The office said the SBU’s Alpha special forces unit was then dispatched to aid their colleagues, with the attackers later detained. The office said the attackers belong to “one of the units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine,” with media reports attributing them to HUR. Local outlet Ukrainska Pravda said officers from the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) – another of Ukraine’s investigative agencies apart from the SBU – arrived on the scene to intervene and had both sides unload their weapons. Unspecified “terrorist act” Media reports suggest the case was tied to a Russian attempt on Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the RDK. On Wednesday morning, the SBU said it worked with HUR to thwart an attack prepared by Russia’s FSB against a Russian opposition leader who arrived in Ukraine for Independence Day. Independent Russian outlet Astra said HUR has since taken down its side of the announcement. While the report did not share details of the operation, including the target’s name and the operation itself, the RDK reported that Kaplunov disappeared near his home several days ago, and the unit reported the incident to various law enforcement agencies, including HUR and the SBU. Ukrainian authorities have not publicly confirmed that Kaplunov was abducted. His disappearance and current whereabouts have not been officially established. Media reports have since suggested that Kaplunov’s disappearance is tied to the latest shootout, though the full circumstances remain unclear. Reaction from former HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov, the head of Ukraine’s Presidential Office and formerly of HUR, called for “a thorough and impartial investigation” in the wake of the incident. Budanov told RBC Ukraine that the Prosecutor General’s Office, alongside the DBR, is working on the case. “It is important to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation, but no one has the right to kidnap servicemen with impunity, open fire on the streets of our cities, give and carry out criminal orders,” Budanov said. Kyiv Post is Ukraine’s first and oldest English news organization, reporting since 1995. Its international reach – 97% of readers are outside of Ukraine – make it truly Ukraine’s global voice.