Shootout in Kyiv between SBU and GUR: lawyer of RDK deputy commander Kaplunov claims his client was abducted and three soldiers were wounded

In Kyiv, in the night of September 2, three soldiers were wounded in a shootout that, according to the lawyer's statement, involved SBU officers and GUR servicemen — two of them seriously and one lightly. According to sources, the incident took place on Shumsky Street, near the building where Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), had been residing. The circumstances of what happened were described to journalists by his defense attorney, Taras Borovsky, while RDK commander Denis Kapustin also gave a brief comment to the press.

Timeline of events: from the "abduction" on August 23 to the shootout

According to the lawyer's version, on August 23 in Kyiv, SBU officers forcibly shoved Kaplunov into a car and took him in an unknown direction. Borovsky deliberately uses the word "abduction" rather than "detention," explaining that a detention involves the drawing up of a protocol, the ensuring of a lawyer's participation and, if necessary, an interpreter — none of which, he says, took place. From August 23 until late at night on September 1, the defense attorney claims, neither he nor Kaplunov's "brothers-in-arms" knew where the client was: appeals to the SBU went unanswered, and the special service's detention facility reported that Kaplunov was not there. In the night from September 1 to 2, SBU officers, according to the lawyer, brought Kaplunov to his apartment to carry out an urgent search.

The lawyer's version: out-of-procedure detention and gunfire

Borovsky recounted that GUR personnel were present on the scene and raised the alarm, after which Kaplunov's "brothers-in-arms" began arriving at the building. According to him, the first groups to arrive were detained, and shots were fired near the entrance at around 23:00 on September 1. Later, GUR representatives arrived at the scene, and a verbal conflict arose, which, the lawyer claims, was resolved through agreements: the SBU agreed to release Kaplunov and those detained, while the GUR servicemen agreed to clear the way for the SBU vehicle. After this, the main body of GUR soldiers dispersed, and the lawyer remained to accompany the investigative actions, which lasted all night. At around 8:30, when the final protocol of the crime scene examination was to be signed, representatives of the SBU's special unit began detaining the "brothers-in-arms." The defense attorney claims that his group tried to protect them with bare hands, after which the SBU officers, according to him, first fired warning shots and then opened fire on the people, as a result of which two GUR personnel were seriously wounded and one more lightly. An ambulance was called for the wounded, who were subsequently hospitalized.

Comment by RDK commander Denis Kapustin

RDK commander Denis Kapustin, who stated that he was present at the search of his deputy's apartment, confirmed the existence of a search protocol, but noted that "no compromising items were found in Kaplunov's apartment." At the same time, Kapustin did not specify what, in his view, the SBU was looking for in the apartment, nor did he clarify where Kaplunov is currently located. Attorney Borovsky, when asked about his client's whereabouts, replied that he did not know.

Contradictory data

The versions of the parties diverge significantly. Kaplunov's lawyer insists that this is an out-of-procedure detention ("abduction"), while the SBU's official version of an allegedly thwarted assassination attempt on Kaplunov, in his assessment, could have been a "PR move" to cover up these actions: "He looked like some kind of joke." At the same time, Borovsky himself does not deny that Kaplunov, a Russian citizen who has been fighting as part of the Ukrainian army since 2024, may be a target of heightened SBU attention, and emphasizes that, given well-founded suspicions, all actions must be carried out by lawful means. The defense attorney also admits, without evidence, that the special service may have tried to "fabricate evidence," while at the same time stating that he has no complaints about the work of the SBU investigators. Thus, the fact of the shootout and the wounding of three GUR servicemen is confirmed by several media outlets, however, the motives of the security forces' actions and the circumstances of the shots remain the subject of contradictory statements.

Investigation's reaction and further actions

According to the lawyer, after the morning gunfire, GUR representatives again began arriving at the scene, after which officers of the State Bureau of Investigation (SBI) arrived and began investigative actions on the fact of the shooting. Borovsky also expressed bewilderment at what exactly the SBU officers were looking for in Kaplunov's apartment, saying that he did not receive a clear answer. The results of the investigative actions and the SBU's official position on the circumstances of the incident were not fully disclosed at the time the material was prepared.