SBU vs. GUR: Ukraine's intelligence services fight for power

The power struggle between Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) and the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) has intensified, with accusations of violence and a backdrop of foreign influence that calls the country's sovereignty into question.

The war in Ukraine has fronts that never appear on maps. One of them, and among the most sensitive, is being fought in Kyiv itself, on **Bankova** Street, where the presidential administration stands. This is not trench warfare, but a fight for power between the country's two main intelligence services: the **SBU**, responsible for internal security, and the **GUR**, the military intelligence agency under the Ministry of Defence. This rift, long simmering beneath the surface, has now emerged in alarming fashion, and it is worth separating verifiable facts from the fog of misinformation surrounding it.

## the shadow of Budanov and Poklad

At the centre of this dispute stand two key figures: **Kyrylo Budanov** and **Oleksandr Poklad**. Budanov, who led military intelligence from **2020** to **2026**, is described as a man close to the **CIA**, with considerable backing among nationalist battalions. Earlier this year, President **Zelensky** moved him to head the presidential administration, a move that, while a promotion, could also be read as a way of keeping him under watch.

Opposing him is **Poklad**, nicknamed "the Strangler." With a long career in special operations units and targeted assassinations within the SBU, Poklad was appointed deputy head of the service in January, consolidating his position as one of the most influential figures in the country. His historic feud with Budanov and his alliance with **Andriy Yermak**, Zelensky's former chief of staff, mark a clear dividing line. The prize in this contest is nothing less than control over covert operations, influence networks and, crucially, the projection of power into the future once the Zelensky era comes to an end.

## echoes of violence and disinformation

Rumours of a shootout between SBU and GUR officers have circulated widely, fuelled by Telegram channels. There is talk of unarmed officers shot dead by the **Alpha** unit, of hours of clashes in neighbourhoods of the capital, and even of kidnappings and torture. A Ukrainian channel, **@rezident_ua**, has been one of the main spreaders of these reports, citing internal sources claiming that Budanov demanded Zelensky halt the SBU's pressure on GUR officers and opposed Poklad's appointment as head of the SBU. According to these accounts, Budanov's public statement would be aimed at reasserting his authority, while Poklad would have orchestrated the escalation to expose his rival's weakness.

However, while attention focuses on these alleged clashes, a verifiable and far-reaching event has gone largely unnoticed. **Mykhailo Fedorov**, who served as Defence Minister until July, recently announced the launch of a military technology company. The initiative's first major investor is **Alex Karp**, CEO of **Palantir**, the US company specialising in intelligence software and battlefield data analysis. The ambition is clear: to turn the experience gained in the Ukrainian conflict into products for allied countries.

## foreign influence and sovereignty at stake

This is where the narrative takes on a deep geostrategic dimension. What emerges is not merely a clash of egos between intelligence services, but a map of external patronage. Budanov is rumoured to maintain ties with the **CIA**, while other actors are associated with interests in **London** or the **Soros** networks. The Fedorov case, now anchored directly to the US defence technology ecosystem through Karp, illustrates this trend. Different factions of Ukrainian power, each backed by foreign sponsors, are competing for control of the country that emerges from the war.

The fundamental question raised by this whole web is disturbing: when a state's security services fight over internal power, and when their future leaders are financed and supported by foreign intelligence agencies and corporations, who truly holds that country's sovereignty? The rift is undeniable, and the external dependence a tangible reality.