RDK's Kaplunov: SBU head Poklad tried to discredit Budanov, Tymur special unit
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The Russian Volunteer Corps published Stepan Kaplunov's official statement following his abduction and the SBU's announcement (Photo: Video screenshot / RDK / Telegram)
Ukraine's SBU Security Service tried to discredit HUR's special unit Tymur, as well as former spy chief and current head of the Presidential Office, Kyrylo Budanov, Stepan Kaplunov, deputy commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK), a unit under Ukraine's Defense Intelligence (HUR), said in a video address published on Sept. 3 by the RDK.
He said SBU officers abducted him in Kyiv on Aug. 23. For the first three days, Kaplunov said, he was personally "worked on" by the head of the SBU, Gen. Oleksandr Poklad.
"Through physical and psychological pressure, they tried to use me to discredit Dmytro Ivanov, deputy commander of special unit Tymur, and Kyrylo Oleksiyovych Budanov directly, in order to pin cooperation with the FSB on them," Kaplunov said.
He also claimed the SBU attempted to plant unknown items in his apartment. The RDK published a video showing three unidentified men carrying bags entering a building entrance reportedly leading to Kaplunov's apartment. The footage is timestamped Aug. 24, 2026 — the day after Kaplunov's disappearance.
Kaplunov had previously told NV in an interview that he was forced to confess to cooperating with Russia's FSB after several days of interrogation and pressure from the SBU. He said he told the agency that his direct commander, Dmytro Ivanov, was also allegedly involved in cooperation with the FSB.
Kaplunov's abduction and the Sept. 2 shooting in Kyiv
On Sept. 2, the SBU said it had worked together with HUR to prevent an assassination attempt by Russia's FSB against a leader of the Russian opposition movement, without specifying a name. According to media reports, that person was Kaplunov.
The SBU later clarified that during a search connected to the assassination-attempt case, a group of individuals affiliated with Ukraine's Defense Forces attacked its officers. The SBU's Alpha special unit used weapons in response, resulting in injuries among the attackers. Media reports described a conflict between the SBU and HUR that led to the shootout on Shumskoho Street in Kyiv's Berezniaky microdistrict on Sept. 2.
This came a day after HUR announced Kaplunov's abduction. The commander of HUR's special unit Tymur, which includes the Russian Volunteer Corps, said SBU officers had "abducted [the unit's] combat commander in broad daylight" without filing official charges. Kaplunov later said he had been held at an unknown facility for 10 days.
President Volodymyr Zelenskyy later called the Kyiv shooting "absolutely shameful" and said the heads of the security services must make personnel decisions regarding those involved, as well as carry out the necessary internal investigations within both agencies. The same day, a presidential decree was issued dismissing senior SBU official Oleh Khramov.
On Sept. 3, the SBU said Kaplunov is suspected of ties to Russia's FSB. According to the investigation's version, he had been preparing, on the Russian agency's orders, an assassination attempt against a Russian opposition figure expected to travel to Kyiv, as well as the killing of Ukrainian Defense Forces personnel.
According to the SBU, Kaplunov admitted to ties with Russia during questioning.
At the same time, HUR pointed to a targeted campaign to discredit its combat intelligence units.
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