By Trendsetter Tribune 
Ukraine’s military intelligence service says it successfully deceived Russian authorities into believing a prominent anti-Kremlin militant had been killed — reportedly prompting Russia to pay out a large bounty.
According to Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence (HUR), the operation centered on Denis Kapustin, a Russian national who leads the Russian Volunteer Corps (RDK) — a group fighting alongside Ukraine and accused by Moscow of carrying out cross-border raids. Russian officials had placed a bounty on Kapustin, reported at about £370,000.
Russian channels and some media outlets reported in late December that Kapustin had died in a drone strike. RDK even issued a statement mourning him. However, on January 1, HUR released a video showing Kapustin alive. In the footage, HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov greets him and — according to Ukraine’s account — suggests that money intended to reward his killing will instead support Ukraine’s war effort.
HUR claimed the deception resulted in Russia transferring the bounty, though independent verification of that claim has not been provided.
Ukrainian officials have previously acknowledged using disinformation and covert tactics as part of their broader defense strategy. In separate incidents described by Ukrainian intelligence, double-agent operations have allegedly disrupted planned sabotage attempts inside Ukraine.
Ukraine has also said it has carried out targeted strikes against Russian military figures during the conflict, while Russia has repeatedly accused Kyiv of attacks inside Russian territory. Many details of such operations remain difficult for outside observers to independently confirm due to the secrecy of wartime intelligence activities.
HUR bombshell: Denys Kapustin, commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, is alive. Budanov says russian security services were fooled into paying $500k for his "assassination."
— Olena Halushka (@OlenaHalushka) January 1, 2026
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