Ukraine Intel Fakes Russian Leader's Death, Claims Kremlin Prize

A week ago, many outlets carried the news that the leader of Ukraine's Russian volunteers had been killed in a drone strike. But it turns out that Ukrainian intelligence not only faked his death, they were then able to convince the Kremlin's FSB that they had carried out the paid hit and so were awarded the bounty placed on his head. 

Double fake out - and not a bad week's work. JL

Kyiv Post reports:

Ukraine's Intelligence Directorate helped Denis Kapustin, the founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps who was announced dead last week, to fake his death before claiming the bounty placed on his head by Russian security services. Kapustin was reported killed by a Russian drone Dec 27. Today, On Jan. 1, HUR said a Russian special service operation ordering his murder, which had allocated a $500,000 bounty to carry out the crime. It procured the sum offered to “liquidate” Kapustin by Russia and this money would be used to strengthen Ukrainian drone capabilities

Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR) helped Denis Kapustin, the founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) who was announced dead last week, to fake his death before claiming the bounty placed on his head by Russian security services, it said on Thursday.

Kapustin, 41, was previously reported killed by a Russian drone whilst carrying out a combat mission in the southeastern Zaporizhzhia region overnight on Saturday, Dec. 27.

On Jan. 1, HUR said in a post on Telegram that a Russian special service operation ordering his murder, which had allocated a $500,000 bounty to carry out the crime, had successfully been foiled.

It added that it had procured the sum offered to “liquidate” Kapustin by Russia and this money would be used to strengthen Ukrainian drone capabilities against Russian forces.

 

HUR said that the murder of Kapustin – considered a “personal enemy” by Russian President Vladimir Putin – had been “commissioned by the special services of the aggressor state Russia, which allocated half a million dollars to carry out the crime.”

It added that a special operation lasting more than a month had successfully duped Russian intelligence services into believing that Kapustin was dead.

The circle of people involved has been identified, including the instigators within Russian special services and the executors, HUR said.

 

A corresponding clip showed a briefing to the head of HUR Lt. Gen. Kyrylo Budanov by the commander of the Timur Special Unit, an elite band of forces within military intelligence.

“Our side also obtained the corresponding amount of funds allocated by Russian special services to carry out this crime. As of now, the RVC commander is on the territory of Ukraine and is preparing to continue carrying out assigned tasks,” Lt Col Timur said.

Budanov congratulated Kapustin on his “return to life,” saying: “I am glad that the funds obtained for ordering your liquidation went to support our struggle. I wish us all and you personally success.”

 

“My temporary absence did not affect the quality or success of the execution of combat tasks. I am ready to move to the area of operations and continue commanding the RVC unit,” Kapustin said.

Kapustin, also known by the name Denis Nikitin and the nom-de-guerre White Rex, founded the far-right RVC at the outset of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022.

One of the most prominent anti-Kremlin Russians fighting in Ukraine, Kapustin is a controversial figure. His far-right activities led to a 10-year ban from the Schengen zone in 2019, though Bellingcat researchers told the Financial Times in 2023 that he had remained active across Germany, France, Bulgaria and more.

The RVC, the largest of three anti-Kremlin militias fighting on the side of Ukraine, is subordinate to the HUR) and is one of the various units of HUR’s International Legion.

The Russian Volunteer Corps mounted cross-border operations into Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions in 2023 and 2024.

On Dec. 27, the RVC announced his ‘death’ on Telegram, writing: “We will definitely take revenge, Denis. Your legacy lives on.”