Ukrainian soldiers fire on one another as crisis deepens around Zelenskyy's power apparatus

As Russian drones and missiles attacked Kyiv and terrorized its residents, dozens of Ukrainian special forces officers were engaged in a confrontation of their own. In front of shocked neighbors, personnel from two powerful intelligence agencies, the SBU and HUR, argued and fought in the street for hours. The clash ended with gunfire.

The SBU is Ukraine's security service. Its responsibilities include pursuing spies, “internal enemies” and terrorists considered threats to Ukraine's security. HUR is the country's military intelligence service, tasked with protecting it from external enemies.

On paper, the two agencies resemble Norway's Police Security Service and Intelligence Service. In Ukraine, however, the secret services are far more powerful and maintain their own military units.

The open confrontation in Kyiv is presented as only one of several new scandals troubling Zelenskyy's power apparatus, placing the behavior of the security agencies at the center of a growing political crisis.