The deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, which fights for Ukraine, was either abducted or detained in Kyiv. The incident ended in a shootout between Ukraine’s security services. - Meduza

Key Points:

• Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU) and military intelligence (HUR) thwarted a Russian FSB-planned terrorist attack targeting a leader of a Russian opposition political national movement visiting Ukraine for Independence Day, identified by sources as Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps.
• The Russian Volunteer Corps reported Kaplunov’s abduction near his home days earlier and criticized Ukrainian authorities for lack of transparency and failure to provide information on his whereabouts or charges.
• On September 2, a gunfight erupted in Kyiv’s Dniprovskyi district involving SBU and HUR officers during a search related to the investigation, with the SBU stating they suppressed armed resistance from a group obstructing the probe, resulting in injuries among those detained.
• Conflicting accounts suggest the incident may have stemmed from inter-agency disputes between Ukrainian security services, with reports indicating confusion over identities and a possible clash over protection of fraudulent call centers.
• Ukrainian officials, including Kyrylo Budanov, emphasized that investigations are underway and condemned any unlawful abduction or use of force by security personnel, stressing the rule of law must be upheld.