Russian envoy claims Ukrainian security services are 'fighting for money' amid internal rivalries

A Russian Foreign Ministry official has alleged that Ukraine has become what he described as "lawless territory," with the country's security agencies competing over money rather than political direction.

Rodion Miroshnik, the Russian Foreign Ministry's Ambassador-at-Large, said that "relations between the GUR, the SBU, and other security agencies are a struggle for money, not for political line," according to Russian state news agency TASS. The GUR and SBU are Ukraine's military intelligence directorate and domestic security service, respectively.

The claim was made by a Russian official and reported through Russian state media, and it has not been independently verified or addressed by Ukrainian authorities in connection with this report. Russian officials have frequently made critical public statements about the state of Ukrainian institutions since the start of Russia's full-scale invasion in February 2022, as part of the broader information dimension of the ongoing conflict.

Ukraine's government has consistently rejected characterizations from Russian officials portraying its state institutions as dysfunctional or lawless, and has continued to maintain that its security and intelligence agencies operate under state authority amid the ongoing war.

No further details were provided by Miroshnik regarding the specific basis for his claims about the nature of relations among Ukraine's security agencies.