A shootout took place on Wednesday in the Ukrainian capital, Kyiv, between the country’s internal security service SBU and military intelligence service GUR. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the incident as an “absolute disgrace” and ordered an investigation.
According to Ukrainian media, the incident took place on Wednesday morning in central Kyiv. The security services were reportedly conducting an investigation into a possible assassination attempt on a Russian opposition figure.
The Kyiv Independent reports that the individual in question was Stepan Kaplunov, a prominent figure within the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), a paramilitary group fighting alongside Ukraine in the conflict with Russia. The RDK is operating under the direct command of GUR intelligence agency.
During the operation, shots were exchanged between security service agents and members of military intelligence, who likely believed that Mr Kaplunov was the target of a kidnapping attempt.
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Three military intelligence officers were injured in the incident. The two branches of the secret services are accusing each other of opening fire. A third service affiliated with office of the Ukrainian president, DBR, was deployed on the ground to deescalate.
Volodymyr Zelenskyy described the incident as an “absolute disgrace” and ordered a thorough investigation into the events.
According to Ukrainian media, Oleg Khramov, one of the senior officials in the SBU security services, has reportedly already been dismissed.
