Overview
- Ukraine’s GUR said the Dec. 27 report of Denis Kapoustine’s death in a Zaporizhzhia drone strike was a planned deception run for more than a month.
- In a GUR video, agency chief Kyrylo Budanov speaks with Kapoustine alive, and the commander says he intends to return to the front.
- Ukrainian officials say the sting identified members of Russian special services who allegedly put a $500,000 bounty on Kapoustine.
- The GUR claims it seized the bounty money, though the coverage provides no independent confirmation of the agents or the funds.
- Kapoustine, known in far-right hooligan circles as “White Rex,” moved to Ukraine before 2022 and led cross-border actions in 2023 that drew Russian attention.