The Russian, accused of preparing the assassination attempt on the deputy commander of the "Russian Volunteer Corps" (RDK) Stepan Kaplunov, turned out to be one of the leaders of the Chechen Republic of Ichkeria Akhmed Zakayev.
Babel was informed about this by sources in law enforcement agencies.
SBU first reported this attempt on September 2, the day of the conflict with GUR. According to the special service, it was supposed to happen on Independence Day, exactly when Zakayev was supposed to be in Ukraine.
On September 3, SBU reported that Kaplunov is also suspected of having agreed to carry out attacks on Ukrainian military personnel.
Conflict between SBU and GUR
Late in the evening of September 1, a shooting occurred in Kyiv, which was repeated on the morning of September 2. As it later turned out, the conflict arose over the disappearance of Stepan Kaplunov, the deputy commander of RDK, which is subordinate to the “Tymur Special Unit” of GUR.
He claims that he was kidnapped by SBU and forced under pressure to confess that he had communicated with the Russian FSB and agreed to carry out assassinations on their orders.
It was during the investigative actions in this case, when Kaplunov was brought to his apartment for a search, that the first shooting occurred. Kaplunovʼs brothers were in the apartment at that time. The second time, according to the commander of RDK, SBU opened fire in the morning. Three GUR employees were injured.
After the shooting in Kyiv, the Prosecutor Generalʼs Office launched a pre-trial investigation. President Volodymyr Zelensky first reported personnel decisions due to the incident, and on September 3, he dismissed the head of the State Secrets and Licensing Department of SBU Oleh Khramov.
Kaplunov himself denies all accusations, and the commander of RDK Denys Capstan emphasizes that Kaplunov has not yet been officially suspected.
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