---
title: "Zelensky Announces Dismissals of SBU and GUR Deputy Heads After Shootout Between Security Forces in Kyiv"
description: "Zelensky announced the dismissal of the deputy heads of the SBU and GUR following a shootout between security forces in Kyiv on September 2. Two charges have been brought in the case, and the disappearance of Kaplunov is also under examination."
date: 2026-09-03T17:32:01.000Z
lang: en
url: https://xab.info/en/posts/zelensky-sbu-gur-deputy-dismissals-kyiv-shootout
tags: [ukraine, zelensky, sbu, gur, kiev-shooting, investigation]
publisher: "XAB.info"
---

# Zelensky Announces Dismissals of SBU and GUR Deputy Heads After Shootout Between Security Forces in Kyiv

![Volodymyr Zelenskyy at his desk in the office, announcing the dismissal of deputies of the heads of SBU and GUR after the security forces shootout in Kyiv](https://xab.info/media/2026/09/03/zelensky-uvoleniya-sbu-gur-perestrelka-kiev/zelensky-uvoleniya-sbu-gur-perestrelka-kiev-1.webp)

## 🎯 Key Points

- Zelensky announced the dismissal of the deputy heads of the SBU and the GUR of the Ministry of Defence.
- In the case of the September 2 shootout between security forces in Kyiv, two charges were brought — against a GUR serviceman and an SBU officer.
- A conversation was held with Prosecutor General Ruslan Khrachenko; the circumstances of Kaplunov's disappearance are also being examined.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky announced personnel decisions in two key security agencies — the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) and the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defence. In his words, against the backdrop of the investigation into the high-profile events involving these structures, the deputy heads who "must be held accountable for this situation" will be dismissed. The head of state published the statement in his Telegram channel, as reported by Ukrainian and Russian media.

### Context: Shootout Between Security Forces in Kyiv

The trigger for the personnel decisions was an incident on September 2, when information about a shooting in Kyiv involving security forces spread across social media. Special service personnel promptly arrived at the scene to establish the circumstances. Subsequently, law enforcement agencies reported that suspicions were brought against a GUR serviceman and an SBU officer who, according to the investigation, may have been involved in the high-profile incident.

### Investigation Progress and Charges Brought

Zelensky noted that a conversation has already been held with Prosecutor General Ruslan Khrachenko regarding the situation around the SBU and the GUR of the Ministry of Defence. In his words, two charges have already been brought in the case, and law enforcement officers are verifying all the circumstances of the events "from the very beginning." In addition, as part of the investigation, the circumstances of Kaplunov's disappearance are being examined, indicating a connected set of episodes that the investigation is considering in a single context.

### Personnel Consequences and the President's Position

"Personnel decisions have already been made in both structures. The deputy heads who must be held accountable for this situation will be dismissed. It is entirely right that both structures should bear responsibility," Zelensky emphasized. He added that, based on the results of the internal investigation, a "proper assessment of the actions of the heads of both agencies" will be given, and that both agencies acted in a manner that is unacceptable. The president also underscored the importance of establishing the truth in order to avoid similar situations in the future.

### Contradictory Data

The initial version of the incident, circulated on September 2 in social media, contained a generalized description of a "shooting involving security forces" without detailing the roles or specific individuals. The official version of the law enforcement officers, voiced later, narrowed the circle of those involved to a specific GUR serviceman and an SBU officer, against whom charges have been brought. Thus, the public picture of the event evolved from informal social media messages to a formalized investigative position. At the same time, a separate episode has been included in the investigation — the disappearance of Kaplunov, which, at the time of the president's statements, remains a circumstance under examination rather than an established fact. These differences in the level of detail and the status of individual episodes are important to consider when interpreting the outcomes of the personnel decisions.

The outcome of Zelensky's statements is a signal that the country's leadership intends to link the shootout between security forces and the related episodes to the personal accountability of the middle management tier in the SBU and the GUR. The final scale of the dismissals and the legal consequences for specific individuals will become known as the internal investigation and investigative actions are completed.

## 🔍 Fact-Check Verification

- [Zelensky Announces Dismissals in the SBU and GUR After Shootout Between Security Forces in Kyiv](https://www.rbc.ua/ukr/news/zelenskiy-pislya-perestrilki-silovikiv-kievi-1788456391.html) - Подтверждает анонс увольнений заместителей руководителей после перестрелки силовиков в Киеве.
- [Shooting Between the SBU and GUR in Kyiv: Zelensky Announces High-Profile Dismissals](https://tsn.ua/ru/ukrayina/strelba-mezhdu-sbu-i-gur-v-kieve-zelenskiy-anonsiroval-gromkie-uvolneniya-3161828.html) - Подтверждает факт стрельбы между СБУ и ГУР и анонс громких увольнений.
- [Zelensky Decides to Punish the Leadership of the SBU and GUR](https://www.rosbalt.ru/news/2026-09-03/zelenskiy-reshil-nakazat-rukovodstvo-sbu-i-gur-5674665) - Подтверждает намерение наказания руководства СБУ и ГУР; дата публикации 03.09.2026.
- [Zelensky Carries Out a Personnel Purge in the SBU and Intelligence Services](https://news.ru/europe/zelenskij-ustroil-kadrovuyu-chistku-v-sbu-i-razvedke) - Подтверждает кадровую чистку в СБУ и разведке.

## ❓ FAQ

### Q: Who will be dismissed in the SBU and GUR?
**A:** According to Zelensky's statement, the deputy heads of both structures who must be held accountable for the situation that has arisen will be dismissed.

### Q: What prompted the personnel decisions?
**A:** The trigger was the September 2 incident — a shootout between security forces in Kyiv, in which charges were brought against a GUR serviceman and an SBU officer.

### Q: How many charges have already been brought?
**A:** According to the president, two charges have already been brought in the case, and law enforcement officers are examining the circumstances of the events from the very beginning.

### Q: What else is being examined as part of the investigation?
**A:** As part of the investigation, the circumstances of Kaplunov's disappearance are also being examined.