Shootout in Kyiv between Ukrainian spy services ‘disgraceful’, says Zelenskyy
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy condemned a shootout between the SBU domestic security service and the military intelligence directorate in Kyiv. The clash, which resulted in injuries, reportedly occurred during an investigation involving a Russian national fighting for Ukraine.
Why it matters
Internal friction between powerful security agencies during wartime poses significant risks to national stability and command cohesion in Ukraine.
Hours after the shootout, Volodymyr Zelenskyy (above) fired the SBU’s head of the department for the protection of state secrets. Hours after the shootout, Volodymyr Zelenskyy (above) fired the SBU’s head of the department for the protection of state secrets. Ukraine Shootout in Kyiv between Ukrainian spy services ‘disgraceful’, says Zelenskyy Domestic security service says clash with military intelligence directorate ‘definitely shouldn’t have happened’
Prefer the Guardian on Google Several people have been injured in a shootout in central Kyiv between two branches of Ukraine’s security services, in an incident Volodymyr Zelenskyy described as “disgraceful”.
The shootout, which took place on Wednesday morning in a downtown area of the capital, was between officers from the domestic security service, the SBU, and the military intelligence directorate, the HUR.
The SBU said in a statement on Thursday that the shootout “definitely shouldn’t have happened” and that it was assisting state investigators.
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