President Volodymyr Zelensky said that the deputy heads of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Military Intelligence Directorate (HUR) will be dismissed following a shooting incident involving personnel from both agencies.
In an evening address posted to the presidential website on Thursday, Sept. 3, Zelensky confirmed he had discussed the matter with Prosecutor General Ruslan Kravchenko, adding that the two suspects have been formally identified.
“Personnel decisions have already been made in both agencies,” Zelensky said, adding that the “deputy heads who bear responsibility for this situation will be dismissed.”
“This is entirely fair,” he continued. “Both agencies must be held accountable; both acted in a way that is absolutely unacceptable.”
Incident occured in Kyiv
The incident took place on Wednesday, Sept. 2 in Kyiv, on Yuriya Shumskoho street – the capital’s Dniprovskyi district.
According to preliminary reports, SBU officers engaged in a firefight with HUR’s military personnel while working on a Russian espionage attempt, allegedly involving the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), Stepan Kaplunov.
While the SBU is primarily responsible for domestic intelligence and counterterrorism activities, 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.
Earlier that same morning, the SBU said it had worked with HUR to thwart an attack prepared by Russia’s FSB against a Russian opposition leader who had arrived in Ukraine for Independence Day.
Neither agency has publicly identified the intended target nor confirmed that it was indeed Kaplunov.
Around the same time, the RDK reportedly said Kaplunov had disappeared near his home several days earlier and that it had reported his disappearance to Ukrainian law enforcement bodies, including the SBU and HUR.
Kaplunov’s lawyer, Taras Borovskyi, said the serviceman had been released, though his whereabouts remain unknown, according to Ukrainska Pravda on Wednesday.
Investigation ongoing
Kyrylo Budanov, head of the Presidential Office and former HUR chief, called for a thorough investigation.
“It is important to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation, but no one has the right to kidnap servicemen with impunity, open fire on the streets of our cities, give and carry out criminal orders,” Budanov told RBC-Ukraine.
Additionally, Zelensky signed a decree dismissing Oleh Khramov – head of the SBU’s Department for State Secrets Protection and Licensing, according to Ukrainska Pravda.
In a statement issued separately on Wednesday, Zelensky demanded accountability and internal investigations to be conducted within both services. He called the shooting “absolutely disgraceful.”