Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has condemned as 'absolutely shameful' a shootout between the country's domestic security service (SBU) and its military intelligence counterpart (GUR) that reportedly left three officers injured. The incident occurred in Kyiv and has prompted the president to call in prosecutors and investigators, as well as to fire a senior SBU officer.
What happened in the shootout?
Reports indicate the gunfight stemmed from the SBU taking into custody a leader of an anti-Kremlin Russian unit that fights for Ukraine under the watch of the GUR. The SBU, Ukraine's internal security service, operates similarly to MI5 or the FBI, while the GUR (also known as HUR) is the armed forces' intelligence unit that carries out military activities and special operations.
Zelenskyy responded forcefully, stating: 'Here in Ukraine, shooting is only permissible at Russian occupiers in defence of Ukraine. Our state will not perceive any other shootout as something that anyone is allowed to do.' The president's remarks underscore the seriousness of the clash between the two agencies, which have often operated in parallel but rarely with such direct conflict.
Russian strikes continue across Ukraine
The incident comes amid intensified Russian attacks. Russian drones hit central Kyiv on Wednesday, marking a seventh consecutive day of intense strikes on the capital. Explosions were heard again in the early hours of Thursday morning. On Wednesday, 11 people were wounded, and residential and university buildings were damaged.
Russia also struck power facilities in the southern Odesa region with missiles and drones, authorities said, knocking out power to more than 350,000 homes. In the south-eastern city of Dnipro, two people were killed and eight wounded in strikes that damaged food warehouses and educational buildings, according to the regional governor.
Norway seizes Russian cruise ship over Crimea compensation
In a separate development, Norway has seized a Russian cruise ship over unpaid compensation for the illegal annexation of Crimea. In April 2023, a tribunal in The Hague ordered Russia to pay Naftogaz $4.22bn to compensate for its Crimean assets seized when Moscow's forces invaded. Naftogaz, a Ukrainian state oil and gas firm, said the seizure was ordered by the Nord-Troms and Senja district court on 31 August.
The vessel, the Professor Molchanov, was owned by Russia and used for commercial expedition cruises, including to the Norwegian archipelago Svalbard. Russia has refused to pay the compensation, leading to the court-ordered seizure.
Ukraine urges ICAO ban on Russian airspace; Rubio on Patriot missiles
Ukraine has urged the UN's aviation agency, the ICAO, and its member countries to ban their airlines from Russian airspace, a day after Zelenskyy warned it was 'becoming completely unsafe' because of Ukrainian drones. Ukraine wrote to the agency seeking 'the full prohibition by ICAO member states of civil aircraft operations within the airspace of the Russian Federation'. In response, the ICAO called on its members to ensure the safety of civilian aircraft, noting that 'long-range weapons systems, unmanned aircraft systems [UAS], global navigation satellite system radio frequency interference, and advanced air defence systems are among the military technologies jeopardising civilian aviation'.
Meanwhile, US Secretary of State Marco Rubio told Fox News that it could take Ukraine several years to start building Patriot air defence interceptors and that doing so is not an immediate solution for Kyiv. 'I mean, these are highly sophisticated weaponry,' Rubio said. The US is negotiating with Ukraine over licensed production of Patriot missiles, but Rubio added: 'That may come to fruition, but it really won't solve the short-term challenge that they're pointing to.' He noted that 'the whole world is asking for more air interceptors' but US needs came first, describing it as 'the number one defence need on the planet, not just for Ukraine, but on the planet', including in the Middle East because of the US-Israeli war against Iran.
Zelenskyy announces air alert changes; Belgium blocks EU assets move
Zelenskyy also announced that Ukraine's air raid alerting system would be revised into two tiers – red for missiles, yellow for drones – allowing for more 'predictability and a better understanding of how to react'. He added that curfew hours would be reduced and more above-ground transport options offered to compensate for metro closures. The measures were a response to 'Russia's changing tactics' and 'its use of drones to wear down civilian life in our cities and disrupt normal economic activity across our country', Zelenskyy said.
In Brussels, Belgium has continued to block EU attempts to use €200bn in frozen Russian assets for Ukraine's benefit. Opposition from Belgium has forced EU members to instead give Ukraine a €90bn loan off their own backs – but as that fund runs down, four countries have pushed to reopen the debate on the Russian assets. Belgium's foreign minister, Maxime Prevot, said the Belgian government's position remained 'unchanged … Using these assets through a process akin to confiscation carries significant risk.' EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas said after ministerial talks in Ireland that fresh funds for Ukraine should ultimately come from Russia. 'That is why some of the member states were proposing to go back to the discussion of the frozen assets. And we will continue that discussion.'
Separately, Britain's sanctions enforcer, the OFSI, has fined Citibank £4.7m (US$6.35m) for failings and errors that led to banned Russians getting access to funds. Most of it happened between February and November 2022, the OFSI said. The CBNA London branch processed 970 payments totalling £19.7m – some for state-owned shipping company PJSC Sovcomflot, as well as Alfa-Bank, PJSC Gazprombank and Credit Bank of Moscow. The agency did not consider there to have been any intent by CBNA London to breach sanctions, and the bank voluntarily disclosed most of the breaches. A Citi spokesperson said it welcomed the conclusion of the case and took sanctions compliance seriously.
