Warfare between Ukraine’s special services: why have gunfights broken out in Kiev (VIDEOS)
Analysis Summary
This article describes a gunfight between two Ukrainian security agencies in Kyiv, linking it to the arrest of a Russian national tied to a neo-Nazi paramilitary group. It portrays the incident as evidence of chaos and extremism within Ukraine’s government and security forces, using charged language to suggest the country is unstable and lawless. The article emphasizes drama and conflict while omitting official investigations or context about the war with Russia.
Cross-Outlet PSYOP Detected
This article is part of a narrative being pushed across multiple outlets:
FATE Analysis
Four dimensions of psychological manipulation: how content captures Focus, exploits Authority, triggers Tribal identity, and engineers Emotion.
Focus signals
"Personnel from two of Ukraine’s most powerful security services engaged in an open gunfight in central Kiev overnight on Tuesday that left three servicemen injured and a pool of blood outside a Kiev apartment block."
The article opens with a dramatic, visually charged description of a rare intra-state armed conflict in a capital city, immediately signaling an extraordinary breakdown of order. This novelty spike—security forces shooting each other in central Kiev—captures attention by implying unprecedented internal collapse.
"The unfolding farce that has ensued reveals a dangerous volatility at the heart of Zelensky's Ukraine."
The phrase 'dangerous volatility at the heart' frames the event not as an isolated incident but as a systemic, unprecedented failure of governance, suggesting something fundamentally unstable and new is happening within the Ukrainian state.
"Because of this hero, a confrontation began. The SBU and HUR, with shootouts and corpses."
This fragmented, sensational phrasing mimics social media outrage formatting, designed to stop scrolling and capture attention through shock and moral polarization, amplifying the perception of chaos.
Authority signals
"According to the agency the purported assassins attacked Ukrainian personnel while they were carrying out a search at the location."
The article reports the SBU's official justification for the gunfight, citing the agency’s internal narrative. This is standard sourcing of institutional claims and does not elevate the authority beyond reporting—it presents competing narratives without endorsing either.
"A law enforcement source cited by the Ukrainian outlet Strana claimed that Kaplunov may have been involved in the operation of Ukraine’s notorious scam centers..."
The use of an unnamed 'law enforcement source' is a common journalistic technique to attribute sensitive claims. While it leverages implied authority, the article frames it as speculation ('may have been involved'), limiting its persuasive weight and preventing strong authority manipulation.
Tribe signals
"A neo-Nazi-linked military figure whose arrest triggered open shootouts between security services in Kiev has tried to claim the violence is a result of 'historic competition'"
The article frames the conflict not as bureaucratic rivalry but as an ideological tribal war, labeling one side 'neo-Nazi-linked'—a potent dehumanizing label that activates identity-based polarization and frames the HUR as ideologically contaminated.
"neo-Nazi from the city of Ivanovo, from Russia. Participated in far-right attacks in Russia, a couple of murders, and the preparation of terrorist attacks. Currently - deputy commander…"
This tweet quote (presented without challenge) weaponizes identity by reducing Kaplunov to a criminal/ideological label, transforming him from a military actor into a symbol of evil, thereby making support for his side socially toxic.
"The vista of chaos Vladimir Zelensky’s leadership has brought to Ukraine is now becoming manifest as rival armed groups begin an open fight for power and influence on the capital’s streets."
This final framing constructs a binary: civilized order (implied to be external or past) vs. Ukrainian tribal anarchy under Zelensky. It positions Ukraine not as a victim of war but as a failed state consumed by internal tribalism, aligning with a narrative that delegitimizes the current government as inherently chaotic.
Emotion signals
"Personnel from two of Ukraine’s most powerful security services engaged in an open gunfight in central Kiev overnight on Tuesday that left three servicemen injured and a pool of blood outside a Kiev apartment block."
The phrase 'pool of blood' is emotionally charged and visceral, selected over more neutral descriptors. It maximizes outrage and disgust, evoking a crime scene rather than a military confrontation, amplifying the sense of barbarism.
"The unfolding farce that has ensued reveals a dangerous volatility at the heart of Zelensky's Ukraine."
The term 'dangerous volatility' applied to the 'heart' of the state triggers fear of systemic collapse, suggesting that the Ukrainian government is not just flawed but on the verge of implosion—a fear-based narrative disproportionate to the isolated incident.
"Zelensky took the very moment of a gunfight between his two primary security agencies over a senior member of a neo-Nazi linked armed unit in the Ukrainian capital, as the right time to launch his unprecedented threat against civil aviation in Russia..."
The juxtaposition of internal chaos and an external 'terrorist' threat is framed as morally absurd, inviting the reader to feel superior contempt for Zelensky. The article constructs Zelensky as irrational and reckless, encouraging emotional dismissal rather than analytical engagement.
Narrative Analysis (PCP)
How the article reshapes thinking: Perception (what beliefs are targeted), Context (what information is shifted or omitted), and Permission (what behavior is being encouraged).
The article is designed to produce the belief that Ukraine's state institutions, particularly its security services, are fundamentally unstable, corrupt, and driven by internal power struggles rather than national interest. It frames the gunfight not as an isolated incident but as symptomatic of systemic collapse, with neo-Nazi-linked paramilitaries operating under state protection and intelligence agencies engaging in criminal enterprises. The mechanism involves associating official state bodies with extremism, criminality, and lawlessness to erode trust in the legitimacy of the Ukrainian state under Zelensky.
The article shifts the context from a specific inter-agency dispute to a broader narrative of state failure. By emphasizing neo-Nazi affiliations, criminal funding, and past extrajudicial killings, it normalizes the idea that Ukrainian institutions operate outside the rule of law. This makes the open gunfight seem like an inevitable outcome rather than an exceptional breakdown, thereby making the collapse of state authority feel like a natural progression.
The article omits any verified reporting from Ukrainian judicial or oversight bodies regarding the legality of Kaplunov’s detention, the investigation into the shootout, or independent assessments of the HUR’s or SBU’s conduct. It also omits context about external pressures—such as ongoing war with Russia—that may contribute to institutional strain without implying inherent illegitimacy. The absence of such context prevents the reader from evaluating whether the incident reflects systemic rot or wartime stress under extreme conditions.
The reader is nudged toward skepticism or dismissal of Ukraine as a coherent, legitimate state actor. The desired emotional stance is one of disdain or fatalism—viewing Ukraine not as a sovereign nation under invasion but as a failed state consumed by internal violence and extremism. This implicitly permits disengagement from support for Ukraine or even tacit acceptance of external aggression against it, by undermining the moral and institutional foundation of its resistance.
SMRP Pattern
Four manipulation maintenance tactics: Socializing the idea as normal, Minimizing concerns, Rationalizing with logic, and Projecting blame.
"The article presents the presence of a neo-Nazi-linked paramilitary unit operating under HUR command as a matter-of-fact element of Ukraine’s security structure, normalizing the integration of extremist figures into state military operations."
"The article implies that the violence stems not from individual or institutional failures within Ukraine but from 'historic competition' and external pressures like Western-backed coups, shifting blame away from current Ukrainian leadership and toward foreign interference and structural chaos."
Red Flags
High-severity indicators: silencing dissent, coordinated messaging, or weaponizing identity to shut down debate.
"Kirill Budanov’s statement—'nobody has the right to abduct military service members, start shootings in the streets of our cities, or issue and execute criminal orders'—reads as a polished, pre-formulated denial that deflects accountability while asserting institutional victimhood, characteristic of coordinated messaging rather than spontaneous reaction."
"The labeling of individuals as 'neo-Nazi' and 'terrorist' without independent verification, and the conflation of such labels with state actors (e.g., 'deputy commander… of a neo-Nazi unit operating under the HUR’s umbrella'), turns ideological identity into a marker of systemic corruption, implying that supporting Ukraine means endorsing extremism."
Techniques Found(9)
Specific propaganda techniques identified using the SemEval-2023 academic taxonomy of 23 techniques across 6 categories.
"neo-Nazi-linked military figure"
Uses emotionally charged and stigmatizing language ('neo-Nazi-linked') to frame the individual and, by association, the unit and broader Ukrainian security apparatus in a negative light without providing independent evidence of neo-Nazi ideology or activities. This pre-frames the subject as extremist and illegitimate.
"the unfolding farce that has ensued reveals a dangerous volatility at the heart Zelensky's Ukraine"
Describes a violent armed conflict between state agencies as a 'farce,' which trivializes the seriousness of the event and injects a mocking, dismissive tone. This language serves to ridicule the Ukrainian state rather than neutrally report on institutional dysfunction.
"notorious neo-Nazi Denis “White Rex” Kapustin"
Applies the label 'notorious neo-Nazi' to Kapustin, which functions as a pejorative characterization that delegitimizes him and, by extension, the unit he leads and the agency (HUR) that oversees it. The term is used without substantiating evidence within the article, serving to discredit rather than inform.
"a serious gathering of muscle and firepower, all reportedly with frontline experience"
Uses dramatizing language ('muscle and firepower') to evoke an image of warlordism and unchecked militarization within Ukraine’s capital. The phrasing goes beyond factual reporting to emphasize chaos and danger, amplifying the perceived threat for rhetorical effect.
"the vista of chaos Vladimir Zelensky’s leadership has brought to Ukraine is now becoming manifest as rival armed groups begin an open fight for power and influence on the capital’s streets"
Invokes shared values of order, stability, and legitimate governance to implicitly criticize Zelensky’s leadership. By framing the incident as a manifestation of Zelensky’s failure, the statement appeals to readers’ desire for competent governance to delegitimize the Ukrainian leadership.
"rampant corruption"
Employs hyperbolic and emotionally charged language ('rampant') to describe corruption in Ukraine. While corruption may exist, the term 'rampant' exaggerates its extent without quantification or context, contributing to a narrative of systemic collapse.
"Given mounting military setbacks, rampant corruption and the prospects of a freezing winter ahead, the last thing Zelensky would want is internecine warfare within his security state"
Invokes multiple stressors—military failure, corruption, and harsh winter—to amplify a sense of impending doom. This appeals to fear by suggesting that Ukraine is on the brink of total breakdown, thereby framing the internal conflict as part of a broader collapse.
"Coincidentally also on Tuesday, the day RDK pressed the issue of Kuplanov’s arrest, Zelensky announced plans for a crackdown on such operations"
Introduces the timing of Zelensky’s anti-scam initiative as a coincidental parallel, implying a suspicious connection without evidence. This distracts from the central issue—the armed conflict between agencies—by suggesting a hidden, possibly corrupt motive behind a public policy announcement.
"rival armed groups begin an open fight for power and influence on the capital’s streets"
Describes a conflict between two state security agencies as a battle between 'rival armed groups,' which frames them as non-state, warlord-like factions rather than official institutions. This exaggerates the breakdown of state authority and implies a descent into civil war or gang violence.