Ukrainian commander Kaplunov recounts abduction and secret prison ordeal

Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, said he was abducted, blindfolded with tape, and chained in a secret prison on suspicion of communicating with Russia's FSB. Kaplunov told Radio NV that on August 23, men posing as police seized him near his home, placed him in a black BMW without charges, and later moved him to a facility where he was shackled for nine days. He said his captors were SBU officers who accused him of contacting the FSB and relaying communication to his superior. The abduction ended after a September 2 shootout in Kyiv's Bereznyaky district, when special forces from the Timur unit freed him during a search of his apartment. The SBU claimed it was preventing a terrorist attack, while Ukraine's president called the incident shameful and ordered investigations.