Major General Volodymyr Lyapkin, former head of the SBU, was killed in the war. He defected to Russia after 2014 and served in the 'Bars-33' unit.

Major General Volodymyr Lyapkin, former head of department within the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU), was killed on March 17, 2026, while serving in the 'Bars-33' unit, part of the Russian Armed Forces Reserve.

Lyapkin defected to Russia after the 2014 revolution, having been dismissed from the SBU and settling in annexed Crimea. He was involved in dispersing the protests at Maidan and led surveillance activities within the SBU. After the Russian invasion, he was appointed deputy head of the Security Service of the Kherson Region, an entity supported by Russia. The SBU officially accused him of collaboration, mentioning repressive activities against the civilian population. His death was confirmed by pro-Kremlin activist Oleg Tsarev, who also mentioned the death of Colonel Eduard Malov, a former emergency services officer, both being graduates of the same military school. Malov's burial took place on April 4, 2026, in the Moscow region.