SBU, HUR Offer Conflicting Accounts Over Kyiv Shootout

The parties involved in a Kyiv shootout on Wednesday, Sept. 2, have offered differing accounts of the incident – one accusing the other of a Russian assassination plot, while the other alleging illegal kidnapping.Initial reports suggest that officers from the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) engaged in a firefight with officers from Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) on the left bank of Kyiv on Wednesday over the disappearance of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK).JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official.President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the incident and ordered an investigation by the State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) alongside the Prosecutor General’s Office.The SBU has since accused Kaplunov of Russian collaboration, while Kaplunov has accused the SBU of kidnapping him illegally and fabricating the Russian plot as a cover-up.Kyiv Post cannot independently verify the authenticity of reports from all sides.Who are the SBU, HUR, and 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 under HUR made up of Russian nationals fighting on behalf of Ukraine against Moscow.SBU accuses Kaplunov of Russian collaborationSoon after the incident went public, the SBU and the Prosecutor General’s Office published an identical press release accusing fighters from “one of the units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine” of hindering its investigation. Other Topics of Interest Russian Drones Hit Kyiv Region, Injuring 1 Amid Damaged Warehouses and Buildings The Air Force said Russia launched 163 strike drones overnight, with 135 shot down or suppressed as Kyiv remained under an air alert. In a Thursday press release, the SBU then detailed its claims and the investigation itself, tying the case to an alleged attack prepared by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) against a Russian opposition leader who arrived in Ukraine for Independence Day on Aug. 24.In it, an unnamed person widely believed to be Kaplunov was accused of working with the FSB to try to assassinate the unnamed figure, as well as “[eliminating] other military personnel of the Defense Forces of Ukraine in exchange for a monetary reward.”The press release also includes a video of Kaplunov acknowledging contacts with the FSB, as well as screenshots of communications reportedly between Kaplunov and his FSB handler concerning the assassination plot that contains Nazi symbolism.However, the SBU wrote that “no preventive measure was applied” given “ the recognition by this serviceman of contacts with the FSB of the Russian Federation and cooperation with the investigation.”Kaplunov alleges illegal kidnapping and cover-upKaplunov has since been released and offered an entirely different account of the incident in an interview with New Voice of Ukraine, suggesting interagency rivalries.According to Kaplunov, he was taken from his home on Aug. 23 by men who claimed to be police officers and was put into a black BMW car, where he was then transferred between multiple vehicles and detention facilities, with his eyes covered.The RDK had reported Kaplunov’s disappearance and appealed to authorities for help, while New Voice of Ukraine published a video of Kaplunov’s detention on Thursday, after the interview was published.Kaplunov then said he identified his kidnappers as SBU officers due to “how they described themselves during [their] exchanges.”He also said he was interrogated and alleged that the SBU – including acting SBU chief Oleksandr Poklad – was trying to “discredit” HUR’s Tymur special forces unit and Kyrylo Budanov, the former HUR chief who now heads Ukraine’s Presidential Office.However, Kaplunov said his abductors did not use physical force on him, save for the initial abduction.Kaplunov said he was later told that he would be returned to his residence after over a week of abduction, though he was unaware of the abductors’ plan to conduct a search of his apartment, he said.Upon their return, a gunfight ensued, and he was freed by soldiers from the Tymur special forces unit, who were supposedly monitoring his residence after his disappearance.Commenting on his video confession shared by the SBU, he claimed in the interview that he did so under duress. He added that the SBU also attempted to implicate his commander, Dmytro Ivanov.“While I was in that difficult situation, I really did fully agree with their version that I had been in contact with the FSB and later shifted that communication to my immediate commander, Dmytro. But in reality, nothing like that happened,” he said. “I went along with it because of the situation I was in and because of psychological pressure.”No charges have been brought against Kaplunov at the time of publication.What did HUR say?HUR itself has remained quiet on the incident, though its Tymur special forces unit has accused the SBU of kidnapping.On Thursday morning, the agency made a brief announcement warning of a “targeted disinformation campaign” to “discredit” the agency.But the evening prior, hours after the shooting went public, Tymur – the commander and the unit’s namesake – sent a video response to Radio Liberty and accused the SBU of kidnapping Kaplunov “in broad daylight” and unlawful attempts to arrest his unit. 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.