Former SBU General Lyapkin, who had fled to Russia, was killed on the front line
This is reported by “Ukrainska Pravda”.
According to the publication, Volodymyr Lyapkin, known by the call sign “Baty”, was killed on 17 March 2026 at the front. The report notes that Colonel Eduard Malov, a former employee of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in the Moscow region, was killed alongside him. According to this information, their bodies were taken to temporary holding points for identification.
Lyapkin was a former head of one of the SBU’s departments. After the Maidan, the publication writes, he fled to Russia and later settled in occupied Crimea.
What is known about Lyapkin
Former MP Oleg Tsarev stated that Lyapkin allegedly oversaw the “invisible side of the SBU’s work” – wiretapping, external surveillance and intelligence gathering. According to him, Lyapkin was promoted to the rank of Major General in 2013 and took part in the suppression of the protests on Maidan.
Following the outbreak of full-scale war, Lyapkin, according to the information provided, became deputy head of the so-called “State Security Service of the Kherson Region”, established by the occupying authorities. In 2025, the SBU declared him a suspect in collaborationist activities and participation in repressions against the civilian population.
The report also states that Lyapkin remained active in the “Bars-33” unit. His death is presented as further confirmation of losses among collaborators and former Ukrainian security officials who defected to Russia after 2014.
