Ukraine spy feud erupts in Kyiv shootout, wounding 3

A shootout between rival Ukrainian intelligence units in central Kyiv wounded three special-forces fighters and exposed a deepening institutional feud between the SBU domestic security service and the HUR military intelligence directorate, the two agencies coordinating clandestine operations against Russia.

"No one has the right to illegally abduct servicemen or open fire on the streets of our cities," Kyrylo Budanov, Ukraine's presidential chief of staff and former HUR chief, said after the incident.

The clash began late Tuesday when SBU special forces, known as Alpha Group, brought detained Russian national Stepan Kalpunov to an apartment rented by HUR's Timur special forces unit in the Dniprovskyi district and announced they were searching the premises as part of a criminal investigation, according to Taras Borovsky, Kalpunov's lawyer. Several Timur fighters living there tried to block the search and called their superiors when negotiations failed. Timur's commander arrived with reinforcements, and by late evening dozens of armed men filled the courtyard. Shots rang out around 11 p.m. and again Wednesday morning, wounding three HUR fighters, Ukrainian officials said. Video footage posted on social media showed pools of blood outside the Soviet-era apartment block.

The incident has embarrassed the administration of President Volodymyr Zelensky at a time when it faces corruption investigations into senior officials and military malfeasance. Zelensky appealed to his intelligence chiefs to provide clear information to the public about what happened, a presidential spokesman said.

Rivalry Traces to January Reshuffle

The feud deepened after Budanov, who headed HUR for 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. Most Timur fighters retain strong loyalty to Budanov, who still exercises influence over the agency, people familiar with the matter said.

Timur's units include the Russian Volunteer Corps, made up of Russians who have decided to fight for Ukraine. Kalpunov, the corps' deputy commander for combat operations, was detained by the SBU in late August and held for a week without charges, according to Borovsky. The SBU said its agents were attacked by armed individuals who tried to obstruct an investigation into a Russian terrorist act. Kalpunov was released after the gunfight, and his lawyer said it remains unclear what he is accused of.

Ukraine's State Bureau of Investigation has opened a probe into the incident. The shootout raises questions about whether the SBU-HUR rivalry will further complicate Ukraine's special operations against Russia, which have included assassinations of enemy military officers inside Russian territory and in occupied parts of Ukraine. Both agencies have claimed credit for such operations, and competition for resources and influence has intensified as the war grinds into its fourth year.

The timing is particularly delicate. Russia has escalated its war on Ukraine, and the internal security services' inability to coordinate — let alone their willingness to exchange fire on the streets of the capital — signals a breakdown that Moscow could exploit. The corruption probes into senior officials and military units add another layer of instability to a government already navigating wartime pressures. For Western partners providing military and financial support to Kyiv, the spectacle of Ukrainian intelligence agencies shooting at each other raises uncomfortable questions about institutional cohesion at a critical juncture in the conflict.