Zelensky Slams Ukrainian Spy Agencies for Infighting During Mission
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned a shootout between rival intelligence agencies in Kyiv that left three officers wounded during what both sides claimed was an operation against Russian forces.
Armed personnel from Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Defence Intelligence Unit clashed in a courtyard in the Ukrainian capital on Wednesday, according to Chris Bradford writing in New York Post. The confrontation escalated to gunfire, leaving three officers wounded in what has become an embarrassing public spectacle for the war-torn nation.
Zelensky took to Telegram to express his outrage at the inter-agency violence, demanding accountability and internal investigations from both security services.
The Ukrainian leader made clear that firearms should be directed only at Russian forces. Here in Ukraine, the only permissible use of firearms is against Russian occupiers in defense of the country, Zelensky wrote, adding that the state would never tolerate such shootouts.
SBU Claims Armed Ambush During Counter-Terror Operation
The SBU maintained its agents came under armed assault while attempting to prevent a terrorist attack orchestrated by Russia’s Federal Security Service (FSB). According to the agency, unknown assailants used vehicles to block their officers and obstruct their investigative work.
SBU personnel only later discovered the attackers belonged to one of Ukraine’s own defense force units. Weapons and documents were confiscated at the scene.
One Defence Intelligence Unit agent sustained a severed artery after being shot in the leg and remains in serious condition. Two additional officers were wounded, one seriously.
Conflicting Narratives Over Alleged Abduction
The SBU asserts the operation aimed to thwart a plot against Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the anti-Kremlin Russian Volunteer Corps. The Russian Volunteer Corps had reported Tuesday that Kaplunov was abducted from his courtyard by unidentified individuals, according to chief of staff Aleksandr Fortuna.
Taras Borovskyi, Kaplunov’s attorney, dismissed the SBU version of events as a public relations stunt. He confirmed reports that his client had been seized, later released, though his current location remains unknown.
Kaplunov, a Russian-born former Russian army soldier who deployed to Syria, has fought for Ukraine since 2014. He served with the Azov Brigade from 2014 to 2016 following Russia’s annexation of Crimea. After Russia’s full-scale invasion in February 2022, he rejoined volunteer defense forces and sustained serious injuries during combat operations in the Irpin and Bucha regions.
Russian authorities have placed Kaplunov on their terrorist and extremist registry.
Intelligence Chief Dismissed
In the aftermath of the incident, Zelensky dismissed Oleh Khramov, an SBU official who had led Ukraine’s Department for the Protection of State Secrets since March 2023. Whether his removal is connected to the shootout remains unclear.
With information from New York Post
