Ukraine’s SBU accuses Russian Volunteer Corps deputy commander Stepan Kaplunov of working for the FSB and plotting an Independence Day assassination. He says he was tortured into confessing.

Recent coverage details a series of developments involving Ukrainian security agencies and the Russian Volunteer Corps. According to reports from Meduza, Ukraine's SBU has formally accused Stepan Kaplunov, who serves as the deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, of working for the FSB. The allegations state that Kaplunov was involved in plotting an assassination timed for Independence Day. In response to these accusations, Kaplunov has stated that he was tortured into making a confession. This development follows a separate, violent incident in the capital, where Ukrainian special forces units clashed directly with each other during a bitter downtown shootout in Kyiv.

The reporting across multiple outlets emphasizes the complexity and friction within and between security structures. Business Insider covers the downtown Kyiv shootout, highlighting the direct armed clash between Ukrainian special forces units. Meanwhile, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty focuses on the aftermath of this armed confrontation, noting that an alleged confession video has raised substantial questions regarding the shoot-out between the security agencies. The coverage does not yet specify the full scope of casualties or the complete administrative fallout from these events, leaving many operational details opaque as outlets continue to follow the story. Context provided in the reporting frames these events around internal security tensions and counterintelligence operations within Ukraine during ongoing wartime conditions.

The involvement of the Russian Volunteer Corps—a unit operating alongside Ukrainian forces—adds a layer of friction, particularly when a high-ranking figure within that unit is accused by the SBU of maintaining ties with Russia's Federal Security Service. The juxtaposition of a public shootout between special forces and a high-profile treason and assassination plot allegation points to deep-seated institutional strains that current reporting is only beginning to unpack. Observers and readers monitoring the situation will need to watch for further official statements from the SBU, the Russian Volunteer Corps, and independent investigators to clarify the sequence of events. Coverage does not yet specify what disciplinary or legal actions will follow the downtown shootout between special forces units, nor does it detail the evidentiary basis for the torture claims made by Kaplunov. Future updates from Business Insider, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, and Meduza are expected to track these unfolding security and intelligence investigations as more facts come to light.