By Riffat Kausar
SNN News Finland
A daytime shootout erupted between Ukraine’s Security Service, the SBU-GUR Shootout, and its military intelligence agency, the GUR, in central Kyiv on September 2, 2026. The confrontation stemmed from the SBU’s detention of Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a unit of Russian nationals fighting for Ukraine. Multiple media reports said at least three people were wounded in the exchange of gunfire.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy called the incident “absolutely disgraceful” and demanded an immediate investigation.
What Triggered the Clash
The SBU-GUR Shootout said its officers were conducting “urgent investigative measures” linked to an alleged Russian terrorist plot when a group of people attacked them and attempted to obstruct the operation. A later SBU statement said officers opened fire “while suppressing armed resistance.”
Ukrainian media and Telegram channels reported a different chain of events. They said the SBU had either detained or abducted Kaplunov outside his home days earlier.
On the night of September 1–2, SBU-GUR Shootout personnel brought Kaplunov to his Kyiv apartment for a search. GUR officers and associates were already present. An initial verbal dispute gave way to gunfire after additional SBU personnel arrived and began detaining HUR officers.
HUR commander Kyrylo Budanov said the State Bureau of Investigation and Prosecutor General’s Office were now handling the case. “No one has the right to abduct servicemen with impunity, open fire on the streets of our cities, or give and carry out criminal orders,” he said.
Who Is Stepan Kaplunov
Kaplunov is a Russian-born commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a paramilitary unit aligned with Ukraine and affiliated with the HUR. He previously served in the Russian army and fought in Syria before opposing Vladimir Putin’s regime and moving to Ukraine after Russia annexed Crimea in 2014. The Russian Volunteer Corps said on September 1 that Kaplunov had been abducted in the yard of his home several days earlier. Taras Borovskiy, his lawyer, told RFE/RL that Kaplunov’s whereabouts had been unknown until September 1.
The SBU did not publicly name Kaplunov during its initial statements, referring only to “one of the leaders of a Russian opposition political national movement.”
Conflicting Official Accounts
The SBU issued contradictory public statements. The first said SBU-GUR Shootout and HUR personnel had jointly foiled an FSB terrorist plot. The second described an armed group trying to block a search, requiring Alpha unit officers to open fire.
RFE/RL reported that at least three officers were wounded. Some Ukrainian Telegram posts claimed as many as 10 GUR members were shot. The lower casualty figure is the most consistently cited across mainstream reports. Zelenskyy’s evening address condemned the incident as disgraceful, while the Kyiv Post timeline traced the clash to Kaplunov’s detention.
Zelenskyy’s adviser Dmytro Lytvyn named the agencies involved as the SBU and HUR. The Prosecutor General’s Office described the attack on SBU officers as carried out by “one of the units of the Defense Forces of Ukraine.”
Key Facts
- Date: September 2, 2026.
- Location: Central Kyiv, Ukraine.
- Agencies involved: SBU and HUR/GUR.
- Central figure: Stepan Kaplunov, Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander.
- Casualties: At least three people reportedly wounded.
- Zelenskyy called for an investigation and condemned the incident.
- SBU-GUR Shootout
FAQs:
Did the SBU or GUR start the shooting?
Official accounts conflict. The SBU-GUR Shootout said it was attacked during a legal operation; HUR sources said SBU personnel opened fire on their officers without warning.
How many people were wounded?
Reports most commonly cite at least three wounded, though some social media sources cite higher figures.
Was Kaplunov released?
Yes. He later appeared in public and said he had been held for days by the SBU-GUR Shootout on suspicion of contacting Russia’s FSB.
Wider Significance
The incident is extraordinary because it involves open gunfire between two branches of Ukraine’s security architecture in the capital itself. Analysts noted it echoes earlier frictions between the SBU and HUR, including disputes arising from the 2022 death of Denys Kireyev, a banker who worked with military intelligence.
The Kremlin-linked story angle is also notable: the SBU-GUR Shootout claimed the operation was aimed at preventing an FSB assassination plot, while HUR sources framed the clash as an unlawful SBU raid on their personnel. Business Insider’s account tracked the fallout through the competing statements from both agencies.
Verified by Scandinavian News Agency Finland.
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