At the center of a high-profile conflict between Ukrainian special services was the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, whom the SBU suspected of ties to the FSB.
On the morning of September 2, a shootout occurred in Kyiv between SBU officers and HUR military personnel. According to Ukrainian media, three representatives of military intelligence were wounded. The parties describe differently who provoked the clash and first used weapons.
New details of the case, which is believed to have caused the conflict, have now become known. At its center is Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps.
Who is Stepan Kaplunov
Kaplunov is a Russian citizen and deputy commander for combat operations of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDC). The RDC is part of the "Timur Special Unit" of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine. According to Ukrainian media, Kaplunov moved to Ukraine after the annexation of Crimea in 2014, served in the Azov Regiment and the Armed Forces of Ukraine. In 2022, he was severely wounded during battles near Kyiv, and later joined the RDC.
On August 23, Kaplunov disappeared. His lawyer claimed that unknown individuals forced the man into a car near his home, with no official arrest protocol. According to the lawyer, Kaplunov's whereabouts were unknown until the evening of September 1.
What the SBU accuses him of
On September 3, the SBU revealed its version of the case. According to the special service, Kaplunov collaborated with the FSB and agreed to carry out its task – to kill one of the leaders of the Russian opposition who was supposed to come to Ukraine.
The SBU does not name him. The Ukrainian Telegram channel INSIDER UA, citing its sources, claims that Kaplunov was offered to eliminate Akhmed Zakayev.
The SBU claims to have received information about the FSB's preparation of this assassination on the eve of Ukraine's Independence Day, August 24. During the check, it was found that Kaplunov might be involved in the case.
According to the SBU, correspondence with an FSB representative was found on his phone. The messages published by the special service indicate that the interlocutor offered Kaplunov tasks for money.
The SBU claims that it was not only about the Russian opposition leader. Allegedly, Kaplunov was also offered to kill other military personnel of the Ukrainian Defense Forces for a monetary reward.
The SBU published a video in which Kaplunov admits that he was in contact with the FSB. The special service also stated that he provided information about other possible participants in the case and cooperated with the investigation. This is how the SBU explained why Kaplunov was not chosen a preventive measure.
Kaplunov stated that he confessed under pressure
Kaplunov himself, after his release, told his version in an interview with Radio NV.
According to Kaplunov, on August 23, he was seized near his home, handcuffed, had his eyes taped with scotch, and was taken to an unknown location. He was held for a total of nine days at two different facilities.
Most intensively, the man claims, he was interrogated during the first two days. Physical violence was not used, but he was told that he could "disappear forever" and there were mentions of "digging a grave."
During interrogations, Kaplunov was accused of ties to the FSB. According to him, under psychological pressure, he admitted that he had contacted the Russian special service, and then allegedly passed this contact to his immediate commander, Dmitry Ivanov.
Now Kaplunov claims that nothing of the sort actually happened. According to him, the purpose of what happened could have been to discredit the HUR's "Timur Special Unit" and its commander.
After nine days, Kaplunov was released and brought back to the house where he had been detained. He was not warned in advance that a search would be conducted in the apartment.
It was during this search on September 2 that the conflict between the SBU and HUR occurred. The circumstances of the shooting itself are currently being investigated by the State Bureau of Investigation.
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