At the time of the Russian drone attacks on Kyiv, the Ukrainian capital was instead awakened by another sound: gunfire from their own people.
On the morning of September 2nd, an incident occurred in the Kyiv's Dnieper District between personnel from the Ukrainian Security Service (SBU) and the Department of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense (HUR). Ukrainian media reported that the exchange of fire resulted in three HUR personnel being injured, with at least two suffering serious injuries. Subsequently, officers from the National Investigation Service arrived at the scene, and both sides disarmed their weapons and were taken for investigation.
That evening, Zelenskyy used an unusually severe tone, referring to this incident as "absolutely shameful".
He stated that the Office of the General Prosecutor and the National Investigative Agency will gradually reconstruct the events, and investigations must be initiated within both agencies themselves, with possible personnel actions also being taken. Zelenskyy then said something that could be seen as setting a red line for the entire Ukrainian security system:
"In Ukraine, one can only shoot at Russian occupiers in order to defend Ukraine."
What Zelenskyy is truly worried about is clearly not just the three people who have been injured.
Because the shots were fired not by ordinary soldiers, but by two of Ukraine's most powerful and secretive intelligence agencies, which also possess a large amount of armed forces.
SBU is similar to the security organs responsible for counterintelligence, national security, and anti-terrorism functions within China; HUR belongs to the Ministry of National Defense and is responsible for military intelligence, counterinsurgency operations, and special warfare. After the outbreak of the Russia-Ukraine War, the power of both has rapidly expanded, ranging from apprehending Russian spies to sabotage, assassination, cross-border operations, and special warfare operations, with their actual scope of work continuously expanding.
The Wall Street Journal observed this gunfight in the context of two institutions competing for influence and resources over a long period of time.
And this time, the conflict really escalated to the point of drawing guns.
The trigger for the incident may have been Svetlana Kapulina, the deputy commander of the “Russian Volunteer Corps”. This Russian-led force that operates in Ukraine is part of the HUR system. The unit where Kapulina was said to have been “abducted” stated that they are investigating an attack orchestrated by the Russian Federal Security Service. They also mentioned that Ukrainian defense forces obstructed their operations, leading to the use of weapons.
HUR side's version is completely different: Relevant commanders accused SBU of illegally detaining Kaplunov and then fired at unarmed HUR personnel first.
Who fired first remains under investigation.
But for Zelenskyy, the more dangerous issues lie not even here.
One of the most fundamental principles of modern states is that state violence must be subject to a clear chain of command. The military, police, and intelligence agencies can be armed, but they cannot decide when to point their weapons at another state institution.
Especially in times of war.
In recent years, in order to improve the efficiency of warfare, Ukraine has given significant operational autonomy to intelligence and special forces units. This approach has indeed been effective in covert operations against Russia. However, it also has obvious negative consequences: these units possess their own special forces, intelligence networks, and covert operation capabilities. As a result, their activities overlap, and the boundaries between their powers become increasingly blurred.
This kind of danger has not been completely avoided.
In 2022, Janis Kileyev, a banker who had participated in the negotiations between Russia and Ukraine, was shot. HUR later admitted that Kileyev was one of their intelligence officers. At that time, HUR’s director, Budanov, publicly accused him of being killed by the SBU. The President’s office at the time attributed the incident to poor coordination among intelligence agencies during the early stages of the war.
Four years later, similar contradictions emerged again, but this time the location was directly in the streets of Kiev.
Ironically, on September 2nd, Russia continued its attacks against Kiev. While Ukraine demanded more air defense systems from the West and emphasized the need to focus efforts against Russia, its two most important security agencies briefly pointed their guns at each other.
So, Zelensky’s statement "Can only shoot at Russian occupiers" is not just an expression of anger.
It is actually a reaffirmation of a fundamental principle: no intelligence agency, no matter how many military achievements it has made or how many secret operation powers it possesses, should have the power to act independently of the national command system.
For a country that is still in war, losing the front line is of course dangerous.
But if one day, those who hold guns begin to judge who is the enemy based on their own judgment, that could be another even more dangerous situation.
