Ukrainian Intelligence Confirms Survival of Russian Volunteer Corps Leader Amid Assassination Claims

The leader and founder of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a far-right paramilitary group allied with Ukrainian forces, is confirmed to be alive, as reported by Ukraine’s GUR military intelligence agency on Thursday. This announcement comes just days after Russian claims of his death on the battlefield.

The GUR revealed that the Russian security forces had initiated a plan to assassinate Denis Kapustin, allocating $500,000 for the mission. The agency indicated that a «complex» counterintelligence operation conducted by Ukrainian officials successfully prevented this assassination attempt.

In a video call, Kirill Budanov, head of Ukrainian intelligence, expressed his relief to Kapustin for surviving the purported assassination plot. “I’m pleased that the funds intended for your assassination were redirected to support our efforts,” Budanov remarked.

Additionally, the GUR shared footage of Kapustin with a commander from its Timur Special Forces, who detailed the counterintelligence efforts.

The Russian Volunteer Corps has confirmed that Kapustin is indeed alive.

Reports of Kapustin’s purported death surfaced after Russia’s military claimed he had been killed in a drone strike in the Zaporizhzhia region over the weekend, a statement that the Russian Volunteer Corps had previously supported.

Born in Moscow, the far-right nationalist Kapustin relocated to Ukraine in 2017 and established the Russian Volunteer Corps shortly following Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022. He is also known by the aliases Nikitin and White Rex.

This paramilitary group has taken responsibility for cross-border incursions into Russian territory, stating its intention to topple President Vladimir Putin and create an ethnic Russian state while renouncing imperial ambitions.

In March 2023, Russian authorities added Kapustin to their federal list of terrorists and extremists following an attack in the Bryansk region attributed to the Russian Volunteer Corps. He was subsequently placed on a wanted list that same month.

Kapustin has been barred from the Schengen travel area since 2019, though the investigative organization Bellingcat has reported that he remained active in far-right circles in Germany, France, and Bulgaria despite this restriction.