A firefight between Ukraine’s two primary intelligence agencies took place on the streets of Kyiv on Tuesday night into Wednesday morning, highlighting tensions within the country’s security apparatus. The incident involved members of the State Security Service (SBU) and the Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), both key players in Ukraine’s ongoing conflict with Russia.

According to initial reports from the SBU, the operation was aimed at preventing a Russian “terrorist attack” targeting a leader within the Russian opposition movement. Ukrainian media later identified this person as Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), a unit made up of Russian nationals fighting alongside Ukraine. The RVC, led by far-right figure Denis Nikitin, had earlier claimed Kaplunov was forcibly taken from his home by unidentified individuals days before the shootout, and its leadership called on both the SBU and HUR for assistance.

Later statements from the SBU clarified that a confrontation had erupted between its special forces and personnel believed to be from the HUR. The agency described a scenario in which SBU officers conducting a search were blocked and came under fire from men belonging to a Ukrainian armed forces unit, preventing them from accessing a specific location. The SBU’s elite “Alpha” unit reportedly opened fire during the clash, detaining three individuals and causing injuries among those who resisted.

The HUR did not provide comment on the incident when approached by news outlets. Meanwhile, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy strongly condemned the actions of the agencies involved, calling on their leadership to publicly explain the conflict and urging greater coordination between the security bodies.

Lawyers representing Kaplunov stated that the deputy commander had been arrested by the SBU in August, but the agency has not officially confirmed this. His current whereabouts remain unknown.

The shootout occurred amid a sustained period of intensified Russian drone strikes in Kyiv, which have injured at least ten people over six days, targeting civilian infrastructure including a university, residential buildings, a kindergarten, and warehouses.

This episode has underscored internal strains among Ukraine’s security services as they continue to manage complex intelligence operations during wartime, raising concerns about cooperation and communication within the country’s defense establishment.