Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky on Wednesday called to order the country's two main intelligence services whose members shot each other. An incident which reveals the rivalry between Ukrainian spies.

Published on: 09/03/2026 - 6:23 p.m. Modified on: 09/03/2026 - 6:28 p.m.

A Ukrainian spy war on the streets of kyiv? Out of the question for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky who, on Wednesday September 2, ordered the country's two main intelligence services – the SBU and the GUR – to drop their weapons after exchanges of gunfire between members of these agencies earlier in the day.

The Ukrainian leader called the incident "absolutely shameful" and warned that no shooting would be tolerated, except to "shoot at the Russian occupiers to defend the country."

Intense face-to-face of spies in kyiv

The exchange of gunfire denounced by Volodymyr Zelensky reportedly left several members of the GUR – the military intelligence service – seriously injured, according to the Ukrainian authorities.

The shooting took place following an intense face-to-face meeting lasting several hours between masked agents in military uniform from the Ukrainian internal intelligence service, the SBU, and a special forces unit from the GUR.

SBU agents had come to carry out a search at the home of number 2 of this special forces unit, which would not have pleased the other members of this group. The shots "were allegedly fired after the SBU tried to arrest [GUR] agents who were opposing the search," says Ryhor Nizhnikau, a Ukraine specialist at the Finnish Institute of International Affairs.

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Accounts differ as to who fired first. For the Ukrainian Prosecutor General, SBU agents were targeted, which the GUR disputes, arguing that it was its members who were attacked first. The Ukrainian presidency assured that an investigation had been launched to precisely establish the facts.

One thing is certain: the SBU "brought in the Alpha group, that is to say one of its elite units, responsible in particular for the fight against terrorism. It is therefore an important operation in the eyes of Ukrainian counter-espionage", underlines Huseyn Aliyev, specialist in the war in Ukraine at the University of Glasgow.

Why such a confrontation? This is the great unknown, as the circumstances surrounding this incident which infuriated the Ukrainian president are unclear. The case involves pro-Ukrainian Russian fighters under the orders of the GUR, one of whose leaders was allegedly kidnapped by the SBU, an alleged assassination attempt organized by Russian FSB spies in kyiv and potential political ramifications up to the highest echelons of the Ukrainian state.

The thesis of an FSB conspiracy

The search which ignited the powder took place at the home of Stepan Kaplunov, the vice-commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a paramilitary group made up of anti-Putin Russians under the orders of the GUR. “It is a small special forces unit placed in 2022 under the command of the Ukrainian military intelligence services and used for special operations, mainly on the Russian border or in Russian territory,” specifies Huseyn Aliyev.

Officially, the SBU is interested in Stepan Kaplunov as part of an investigation linked to an assassination attempt prepared by the FSB, the Russian intelligence service, targeting "an important Russian opponent" and which was allegedly foiled in kyiv.

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Ukrainian spies had even already kidnapped Stepan Kaplunov from his home on August 23 before releasing him several days later. At the time, there was already talk of this famous FSB assassination attempt. Ukrainian intelligence services have since claimed that Russian assassins were preparing to act on August 24, Ukrainian Independence Day, against a Russian opponent who had come to kyiv to take part in the celebrations.

Who was this Russian opponent in the FSB’s sights? Why was it necessary to kidnap number 2 of a militia of Russian fighters under the orders of the GUR to foil the assassination attempt? Was Stepan Kaplunov accused of working with Russian spies, or of having information to prevent the FSB plot?

In a press release published on Thursday, the SBU said that Stepan Kaplunov admitted to having collaborated with Russian intelligence services.

This is not the version provided by number 2 of the Russian Volunteer Corps to The New Voice of Ukraine website. In an interview, he claims that these confessions were obtained under duress.

A story of political rivalry?

This incident is part of the often difficult and sometimes explosive relationship between the two main intelligence services. “They often encroach on each other’s flowerbeds,” assures Huseyn Aliyev.

It is also not the first time that this latent war of spies has resulted in outbreaks of violence. In 2022, the GUR accused the SBU of having one of its agents, a banker who had obtained information about Russian invasion plans, killed. Ukrainian counterintelligence services had previously suggested that the man was in reality a double agent in the pay of Moscow.

The Kaplunov affair and the resulting shooting at dawn in kyiv must also be placed in a more general political context of conflict. “The GUR has long been led by Kyrylo Boudanov [between 2020 and January 2026, Editor’s note], perceived today as a potential political rival of Volodymyr Zelensky,” underlines Ryhor Nizhnikau. For its part, “the SBU depends directly on the Ukrainian presidency, and its leaders are all loyal to Volodymyr Zelensky,” specifies Huseyn Aliyev.

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Kyrylo Budanov, very popular in Ukraine, was named head of the presidential administration in January and was subsequently replaced at the head of the GUR by Oleh Ivashchenko, "who represents less of a potential political rival for Volodymyr Zelensky", assures Ryhor Nizhnikau.

For this expert, the backstory of this affair would therefore perhaps be a struggle for political influence at the highest summit of the State. This is also what Stepan Kaplunov told The New Voice of Ukraine. He maintains that "the SBU wanted to obtain information from him to discredit the GUR and its former boss, Kyrylo Budanov". “The goal would be, according to this hypothesis, to be able to remove those loyal to the former head of the GUR and reduce the influence of the presidential advisor on this intelligence service,” he explains.

Huseyn Aliyev is less sure that someone like Stepan Kaplunov – simple number 2 in a small GUR unit – is important enough to have access to truly compromising information.

But in any case, “this war of the intelligence services mainly plays into the hands of Moscow,” underlines Huseyn Aliyev. An opinion shared by Ryhor Nizhnikau, who emphasizes that “as long as elite units like the Alpha group have to resolve disputes between the services in kyiv, they are not concerned with preparing operations against Russia”. Which gives Moscow agents free rein.

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