Key facts
- A shootout between Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR) on Sept. 2 highlighted alleged lawless methods and inter-agency conflict.
- The SBU claimed the incident involved thwarting an assassination plot by Russia's FSB against Russian opposition figures.
- Stepan Kaplunov, a deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, alleged he was illegally abducted by SBU officers and subjected to duress.
- Two HUR officers were injured in the shootout, which occurred after Kaplunov was taken to his apartment building.
- A Ukrainian parliamentary committee acknowledged violations by both agencies involved in the incident.
- The conflict between the SBU and HUR has a history, including the 2022 death of Denys Kireev, a member of Ukraine's negotiating delegation.
A violent standoff between Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and its military intelligence agency (HUR) on September 2 has exposed alleged lawless methods within the country's security apparatus and a deep-seated institutional rivalry.
The incident, which resulted in injuries to two HUR officers, has led to conflicting accounts from the agencies involved. The SBU claimed it was thwarting a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) plot to assassinate Russian opposition figures, identifying Stepan Kaplunov, a deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (a HUR unit), as central to the plot.
However, Kaplunov presented a starkly different narrative, alleging that SBU officers illegally abducted him, held him in a "secret prison," subjected him to psychological pressure, and threatened his life. He stated that he falsely confirmed the investigators' version of events under duress. His lawyer further alleged that SBU officers conducted an unlawful nighttime search of his apartment without a warrant.
Kaplunov was subsequently released without charges, a move that legal experts suggest appears to be a clear violation of Ukrainian law, which mandates charging individuals within 24 hours and bringing them before a court within three days. Denis Kapustin, commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, characterized the SBU's actions as an unlawful attempt to pressure Kaplunov into falsely implicating his commanders.
Fedir Venislavskyi, a member of the parliament's national security and defense committee, confirmed that both the HUR chief and the acting SBU head presented their accounts to the committee. He noted that violations were perceived on both sides and deemed the use of firearms in a residential area unacceptable.
This confrontation is seen by some as a symptom of a broader, long-running conflict between the SBU and HUR, which has reportedly surfaced in previous incidents, such as the 2022 killing of Denys Kireev, a member of Ukraine's negotiating delegation who was allegedly working for HUR. Some analysts also suggest the incident could be an attempt to undermine the political standing of President Volodymyr Zelensky's Chief of Staff, Kyrylo Budanov, who previously led HUR.
Despite these theories, an aide to President Zelensky denied any conflict between the agencies, attributing the differing accounts to responses to media inquiries. The Kyiv Independent reported that it had not received comments from the SBU or HUR at the time of publication.