Ukraine Spies Shoot It Out On Kyiv Street --- Three soldiers were wounded after tensions escalated between rival units

 

“KYIV -- A shootout in Kyiv between rival Ukrainian units has exposed a festering feud between two powerful intelligence agencies that are competing for influence and resources in the conflict with Russia.

 

A special-forces unit of Ukraine's domestic security service, known as the SBU, faced off against special forces overseen by the country's military intelligence directorate, or HUR, Ukrainian officials said.

 

Three of the latter group were wounded in exchanges of fire late Tuesday and early Wednesday, the officials said.

 

The spark, said one of the officials, was the SBU's recent detention of a Russian national fighting for Ukraine under the HUR's supervision, and the SBU's attempt to search an apartment at which the Russian and other HUR-backed fighters were staying.

 

The incident has embarrassed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's administration as it is faces investigations into corruption among senior officials and malfeasance within some military units. Personal rivalries and shuffles have rattled the government.

 

Zelensky appealed to his intelligence chiefs to provide clear information to the public about what happened, a presidential spokesman said.

 

Zelensky's chief of staff, Kyrylo Budanov, said Ukraine's main investigative agency opened a probe. "No one has the right to illegally abduct servicemen or open fire on the streets of our cities," he said.

 

The SBU and HUR are Ukraine's premier intelligence agencies and the tips of the spear in the country's clandestine operations on Russian territory. Both have carried out operations including the assassinations of enemy military officers inside Russia. But a contest between the two organizations for clout and resources recently deepened after leadership changes in both agencies, people familiar with the matter said.

 

Budanov, who headed HUR for many years, was succeeded in January by Oleh Ivashchenko, a former foreign-intelligence chief who has shown less interest in publicly promoting daring military actions to boost the agency's stature.

 

As HUR chief, Ivashchenko now also oversees the agency's Timur Special Forces, an elite paramilitary organization with thousands of experienced soldiers. But most of these fighters retain loyalty to Budanov, who still exercises influence over the HUR, people familiar with the agency said.

 

Timur's units include the Russian Volunteer Corps, made up of Russians who fight for Ukraine. In late August, the SBU detained the Russian fighters' deputy commander, Stepan Kalpunov, holding him for a week without charges, said his lawyer, Taras Borovsky. The SBU didn't respond to a request for comment. On Tuesday, the Russian fighters appealed publicly for information about Kalpunov's whereabouts.

 

Later that day, the SBU's special forces, known as Alpha Group, brought Kalpunov to an apartment rented by Timur in Kyiv, and said they were there to search the premises as part of a criminal probe, Borovsky said.

 

Several Timur fighters who were living in the apartment tried to prevent the search, Borovsky said. After failing to reach agreement with the SBU officers, they called their superiors, and Timur's commander arrived with more soldiers.

 

By late evening, dozens of armed men filled the apartment block's courtyard, residents told The Wall Street Journal. Shots rang out at about 11 p.m. and again on Wednesday morning, said residents and Borovsky.

 

The SBU said a team of its agents was attacked by armed individuals who tried to obstruct an SBU probe into a Russian act. The SBU deployed its special forces to protect its agents, leading to a shootout in which several people were wounded, it said.

 

Kalpunov was released from SBU detention after the gunfight, officials said. His lawyer said it is still unclear what he is accused of.” [1]

 

1. World News: Ukraine Spies Shoot It Out On Kyiv Street --- Three soldiers were wounded after tensions escalated between rival units. Luxmoore, Matthew; Bosak, Serhii.  Wall Street Journal, Eastern edition; New York, N.Y.. 03 Sep 2026: A8.