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Stepan Kaplunov was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine following an armed confrontation between two intelligence agencies.

Stepan Kaplunov, the deputy commander of combat operations for the Russian Volunteer Corps, was detained by the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) after an armed clash between the SBU and the military intelligence agency (HUR). The confrontation occurred in Kyiv when SBU agents returned Kaplunov to his residence for a search, leading to an armed standoff with HUR officers. The SBU claimed they foiled a Russian assassination plot involving Kaplunov, while HUR personnel and Kaplunov's lawyers argued that the SBU detained him without a warrant. President Volodymyr Zelensky condemned the shootout as disgraceful and issued a decree dismissing a senior SBU official. Zelensky stated that state weapons should only be used against Russian forces, not during internal disputes. Kaplunov reported being abducted and held in a secret prison for nine days. During his detention, he was pressured to admit to having links with the Russian FSB, a claim he later clarified that he agreed to under psychological pressure despite the reality of the situation. The SBU reported that several officers were wounded during the search and launched an investigations into the incident.

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