Questions persist after Kyiv security-service shootout, expert calls it a blow to Zelenskyy’s reputation

The gunfire erupted in a residential neighborhood close to central Kyiv, where armed officers appeared to confront another group of men before shots rang out. A video shared on social media shows what appear to be anti-terrorist officers pushing against men dressed in black. Moments later, the men lie on the ground beneath rifles pointed at them.

The confrontation took place on Sept. 2 on Shumsky Street. The report identifies the opposing sides as Ukraine’s Security Service and military intelligence, turning what might otherwise have been a local security incident into a troubling clash between state services.

No passersby appear in the footage. Residents of Kyiv, the report says, prefer to avoid such situations, particularly in the fifth year of the full-scale war.

A well-known Ukrainian political scientist told Rzeczpospolita that the shootout was a blow to Zelenskyy’s reputation. “This raises concerns about the instability of the situation inside our country,” the expert said. The incident continues to reverberate because it took place almost in the heart of the capital and involved armed state personnel.

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This raises concerns about the instability of the situation inside our country.