Jens Asbjørn Bøgen
The whole mission is like taken out of a movie.
When you think of faking deaths, you’re probably thinking of scenes from movies, where the hero or villain creates a deception to appear deceased only to then reappear later in the movie to the schock of everyone.
You may even have heard about real life incidents, where someone has faked their own demise to avoid capture by the police or to get out of trouble with shady figures.
But deception is an integral part of warfare, and Ukraine has just tricked Russia into paying them $500,000 – by faking a commanders death.
A staged killing
According to multiple news outlets, including The Kyiv Independent, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, known as HUR, said last week that it deliberately spread reports that Russian Volunteer Corps commander Denis Kapustin had been killed during a mission in Zaporizhzhia Oblast.
According to the agency, Kapustin’s supposed death was first reported on Dec. 27, convincing Russian intelligence services that a long-standing target had been eliminated.
On Jan. 1, HUR disclosed that Kapustin was alive, describing the reports as part of a special operation designed to deceive Moscow, which had allegedly ordered his assassination.
Video deception
HUR released video footage on Jan. 2 showing what it said was the fabricated evidence used to sell the story. The footage depicts Kapustin entering a minibus moments before a drone strike appears to hit the vehicle.
Subsequent images show the bus engulfed in flames, reinforcing the illusion of a fatal attack.
“To support the legend, a video of the work of two strike drones was created,” HUR said.
The agency said Russian intelligence services accepted the footage as genuine and paid a $500,000 bounty. HUR added that the money “will significantly enhance the combat capabilities of the HUR special forces.”
“Welcome back to life”
The reveal that Kapustin was till alive was published on Telegram by HUR.
In a video chat, the Head of the HUR MoD of Ukraine, Kyrylo Budanov congratulated RDK commander Denis Kapustin, who also joined the briefing via video link..
“First of all, Mr. Denis, I congratulate you on your return to life. That is always a pleasure. I am glad that the funds received for ordering your elimination went to support our struggle. I wish all of us, and you personally, success,” Budanov said.
Kapustin then replied by stating that his temporary absence did not affect the quality or success of other combat missions, and that he is ready to get back to work, commanding his unit.
Wider context
Kapustin, also known as “White Rex,” leads the Russian Volunteer Corps, a unit of Russian nationals fighting alongside Ukraine since 2014. The group has taken part in cross-border raids into Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions, according to the Kyiv Independent.
The revelation came amid leadership changes in Kyiv. A day after HUR chief Kyrylo Budanov acknowledged the operation, President Volodymyr Zelensky named him as the new head of the Presidential Office.
Zelensky plans to appoint Foreign Intelligence Service chief Oleh Ivashchenko to lead HUR, an official told the Kyiv Independent on Jan. 2.
Sources: The Kyiv Independent, DIUkraine on Telegram, The Guardian, Radio Free Europe, Berlingske, TRT World
