World News
Ukrainian special forces units engage in downtown Kyiv shootout during apartment search
A confrontation between military intelligence and security service operatives left at least three wounded, prompting presidential condemnation and official inquiries.
The short version
- Special forces from Ukraine's military intelligence directorate (GUR) and the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) clashed in a central Kyiv gunfight during an apartment raid.
- At least three officers sustained injuries in what President Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as a shameful incident.
- The clash reportedly centered on an SBU investigation into a GUR-affiliated Russian volunteer commander accused of contacting Russian intelligence.
- Ukraine's prosecutor general and both intelligence agencies have launched internal investigations, with personnel changes expected.
Key facts
- A firefight erupted in central Kyiv between operatives from Ukraine's GUR military intelligence and the SBU security service, leaving at least three officers injured.[Business Insider]
- The SBU stated that its Alpha special forces were summoned after an operational team conducting an urgent search was blocked and subjected to an armed attack.[Business Insider]
- Local reports indicated the operation focused on Stepan Kaplunov, a deputy commander in the Russian Volunteer Corps operating under GUR paramilitary oversight.[Business Insider]
- Kaplunov told Ukrainian media that the SBU had detained him over allegations of contacting Russia's Federal Security Service before bringing him to his apartment for a search.[Business Insider]
- President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned the violence between domestic services and announced that the prosecutor general would lead an investigation accompanied by internal agency reviews.[Business Insider]
What remains uncertain
- The exact sequence of events that initiated the gunfire remains unverified, as footage only shows aggressive movement prior to shots being fired and Kaplunov was indoors during the shootout.[Business Insider]
- The full extent of casualties and the specific personnel actions resulting from the upcoming investigations have not been finalized.[Business Insider]