(Central News Agency, Kyiv, comprehensive foreign news report on the 2nd) Ukraine was shocked to hear that a law enforcement conflict between the two major national security agencies, the Security Service and the Military Intelligence Agency, staged a shootout in the streets. President Zelensky rebuked the two agencies for turning their guns on each other and demanded an investigation.
The British "Financial Times" pointed out that Zelensky said in a conversation tonight that a "heinous incident" occurred between personnel of Ukraine's largest intelligence agency, the Security Service (SBU) and the Military Intelligence Service (HUR).
He said: "In Ukraine, the only people who should be shot are the Russian occupiers, and this is to defend Ukraine. As for any other form of rebuttal, our country will never regard it as a rightful act."
Zelensky said that the incident will be investigated by the prosecutor's office. "Someone must be responsible for this, including the heads of the intelligence and security agencies, and sanctions must be imposed on those involved; both agencies must also launch internal investigations."
On the 2nd, social media widely circulated news and videos of a fight between Security Service and Military Intelligence personnel in the Dniprovskyi district of Kiev. Subsequently, the statement issued by the Ukrainian Security Service was inconsistent.
The Security Service initially said that they had joined forces with the Military Intelligence Service to thwart a "terrorist attack" planned by Russia, but later said that Security Service personnel were obstructed while conducting a search. Agents of the Security Service's elite "Alpha" unit opened fire and arrested three people. The three people "belonged to one of the Ukrainian defense units." Several people were injured during the process.
The conflict appears to be related to the earlier arrest of a commander of the "Russian Volunteer Corps" (RVC). The RVC was a force composed of Russian nationalists who fought for Ukraine and was later incorporated into the Ukrainian Military Intelligence Agency; Russia classified the RVC as a terrorist organization.
The Russian Volunteer Army stated on the 1st that their deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov was taken away a few days ago and that they had not received any information about his charges. Kaplunov's lawyer told Ukrainian investigative news outlet Slidstvo that his client was arrested by the Security Service at the end of August and was taken back to his apartment for a search on the 2nd, at which point Military Intelligence officers tried to prevent Security Service personnel from entering the apartment.
According to reports from Ukrainska Pravda and Russia Today (RT), members of the Security Service and Military Intelligence of Ukraine's two major security agencies shot at each other in the center of Kiev, injuring three service personnel and leaving a pool of blood outside the apartment building.
Ukrainian Pravda reported that there was an initial quarrel between the two parties, and then the situation escalated as more security service personnel arrived and tried to detain the other party's personnel, eventually turning into a gun battle. Many Ukrainian media have generally speculated that it was the arrest of Kaplunov that further heightened the already existing tensions between the Security Service and the Military Intelligence Agency.
After publicly condemning the incident, Zelensky signed an order to dismiss Oleh Khramov, the head of the security service's confidentiality department.
Russia Today pointed out that after the Ukraine Square Revolution overthrew the pro-Russian government in 2014, both the Security Service and the Military Intelligence Agency were reorganized with the assistance of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), but they later developed suspicions about each other.
It was reported that in 2022, the Ukrainian Security Service executed Denys Kireyev, a banker who was one of the Ukrainian negotiators at the time, on the spot for allegedly conducting espionage activities for Russia. However, it was later revealed that Kireyev actually worked for the Military Intelligence Agency.
The British "Financial Times" believes that this violent incident has raised questions about the ability of the Kiev authorities to restrain domestic intelligence units; since Russia's invasion in 2022, the influence and resources of these units have expanded significantly.
Relevant units said that the security service had released Kapulunov after the exchange of fire, but his lawyer said it was still unclear what crime Kaplunov was charged with.
The Wall Street Journal pointed out that this incident made Zelensky’s government lose face. Kyiv is currently facing investigations into corruption among senior officials and negligence in some military units. This summer, some internal power struggles and high-level personnel reshuffles have created an atmosphere of uneasiness. As Russia continues to increase its military power, these events have deepened the outside world's perception of internal discord in Kiev.
The Security Service and the Military Intelligence Service are both the core units of Ukraine’s covert operations in Russia. Both agencies have carried out operations, including the assassination of enemy officers, across Russia and in Russian-occupied areas of Ukraine.
