SBU leak on Kaplunov fails to prove FSB ties, says ex-officer Chervinsky

The Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) published correspondence allegedly between Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov and Russian special services, but former SBU counterintelligence officer Roman Chervinsky says it does not prove he is a spy. Chervinsky stated the messages could have been part of a special operation or a simulated collaboration, noting that if Kaplunov were a real agent, he would have been arrested given the wartime danger. He suggested the leak may indicate a lack of evidence and criticized the SBU for not using the situation to document Russian terrorist plans. The incident follows a September 2 shootout in Kyiv during an SBU search of Kaplunov's apartment, which the SBU linked to an alleged FSB-ordered assassination plot. Kaplunov denies collaboration, claiming his admission was made under psychological pressure, and accuses the SBU of trying to discredit the GUR's Timur unit.