Kyiv Shootout Between SBU and HUR - What We Know

Key Points:

• A shootout occurred in Kyiv between members of Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and Military Intelligence (HUR) during an operation linked to a Russian plot against Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK).
• The incident took place on Yuriya Shums’koho street in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district, leading to the street being blocked off and a criminal probe launched by Ukraine’s Prosecutor General’s Office.
• The SBU was conducting a counterterrorism operation against a Russian Federal Security Service (FSB) plot when attacked by armed individuals believed to be from HUR, prompting deployment of the SBU’s Alpha special forces and detainment of the attackers.
• Kaplunov, a Russian opposition leader fighting with Ukraine, reportedly disappeared days earlier, with media and authorities linking his disappearance to the shootout, though official confirmation and details remain unclear.
• Kyrylo Budanov, former HUR chief, called for a thorough and impartial investigation, emphasizing that kidnapping servicemen and armed confrontations in cities are unacceptable and must be addressed by law enforcement.