Ukrainian Spy Agencies Clash in Rare Kiev Shootout

Two Ukrainian intelligence agencies, the GUR and the SBU, exchanged gunfire in central Kiev overnight on September 1-2, wounding at least three people in an unprecedented clash between supposed allies. The shootout erupted during an SBU raid on Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a unit of Russian citizens fighting for Ukraine under GUR command. The SBU accused Kaplunov of contacts with Russian intelligence, while he claims his confession was coerced. President Volodymyr Zelensky called the incident "scandalous," promising exemplary sanctions and announcing the dismissal of senior SBU official Oleh Khramov. The clash highlights internal tensions amid Ukraine's ongoing war and corruption scandals.