Key facts
- RVC deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov denied allegations of contact with Russia's FSB and involvement in assassination plots.
- Kaplunov claims he confessed to the allegations only after nine days of detention under psychological pressure and threats.
- Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) had previously alleged a person had contacts with Russian intelligence and was to prevent an FSB-organized assassination.
- The allegations emerged after a shootout between SBU and HUR officers in Kyiv injured three HUR members.
- President Volodymyr Zelensky described the inter-agency confrontation as 'disgraceful' and ordered an investigation.
- Oleh Khramov, head of the SBU's department for state secrets, was dismissed.
The fallout from a confrontation between Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and military intelligence agency (HUR) has deepened, with accusations and denials flying between the agencies and the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC).
Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the RVC, has vehemently denied allegations made by the SBU that he had contacts with Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB) and was involved in planned assassinations. Kaplunov stated on social media that he only admitted to these claims after being held for nine days under psychological pressure and threats in what he described as a 'secret prison.'
The SBU had earlier claimed to have uncovered contacts with Russian intelligence while preventing an FSB-organized assassination plot. According to the SBU, Kaplunov was tasked with assassinating a Russian opposition figure visiting Ukraine and killing other Ukrainian service members for money. The agency stated that Kaplunov acknowledged contacts with the FSB and provided information leading to the identification of others involved, with correspondence documented on his phone.
Kaplunov, however, recounted being forcibly detained on August 23 by individuals identifying as police officers. He described being blindfolded and taken to a secret location where he faced intensive questioning and threats of disappearance. Under these conditions, he claims he agreed with the investigators' narrative, though he insists no such contact with the FSB actually occurred.
In a separate video, Kaplunov accused SBU officers of a 'bandit-style' abduction and alleged that acting SBU head Oleksandr Poklad personally interrogated him. Kaplunov further claimed that SBU officers sought to implicate Dmytro Ivanov, deputy commander of HUR's 'Timur' special unit, and President's Office Head Kyrylo Budanov in cooperation with the FSB through coercion. He also alleged that SBU officers attempted to plant items in his home while he was detained.
The SBU denied wrongdoing, stating Kaplunov was not placed under preventive measures as he cooperated. However, they described the subsequent shootout with HUR as an 'absolutely unacceptable conflict situation.' The State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) is probing the shooting, with the SBU cooperating.
RVC commander Denis Kapustin also rejected the SBU's claims. He stated that the initial confrontation occurred when SBU officers brought Kaplunov to his apartment for a search and encountered HUR members. The dispute escalated the next morning when SBU officers opened fire, wounding three HUR members and detaining others.
President Volodymyr Zelensky labeled the incident 'an absolutely disgraceful situation' and ordered a full investigation, emphasizing accountability. Following the events, Oleh Khramov, head of the SBU's department for the protection of state secrets, was dismissed.