This one is right out of a movie or a World War II spy novel.

Russia thought that Denis Kapustin, the founder and leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a paramilitary organization fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against Vladimir Putin’s forces, was dead. The victim of an assassination plot they’d paid for to the tune of $500K.

It turns out, not so much. Ukraine’s military intelligence agency, the GRU, said Thursday that they not only infiltrated the plot, but they snagged the five hundred thousand to boot.

Kapustin is very much alive, the Ukrainians say:

❗The Defence Intelligence of Ukraine carried out a complex, multi-stage special operation to save the life of Denis Kapustin, commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), while simultaneously exposing an enemy intelligence network.

?: https://t.co/m4hWnS9B40 pic.twitter.com/sjXiY84jkI

— Defence Intelligence of Ukraine (@DI_Ukraine) January 2, 2026

Here’s what we know, according to the Moscow Times, an independent outlet not affiliated with the Putin regime:

The GUR said Russian security services had ordered the assassination of Denis Kapustin and allocated $500,000 for the operation. According to the agency, Ukrainian officials carried out a “complex” counterintelligence operation that thwarted the plot.

Kirill Budanov, Ukraine’s intelligence chief, appeared in a video call with Kapustin and congratulated him on surviving the alleged assassination attempt. “I’m glad that the funds allocated for ordering your assassination went to support our fight,” Budanov said.

Failure of Russian special services ― RVC commander Denis Kapustin is alive, and the half a million dollars received for his elimination will strengthen the special forces of the DI of Ukraine

"Welcome back!" — Kirill Budanov congratulated Denis White Rexhttps://t.co/9AlSFpDd2y pic.twitter.com/KoArDcBnrT

— Russian Volunteer Corps | RVC | РДК (@rvc_army_eng) January 1, 2026

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Kapustin, also known as “White Rex,” founded the RVC after Russia invaded Ukraine in 2022 and has his sights set on toppling Putin. The corps has staged multiple attacks:

The group, which was banned in Russia as a terrorist organization, was known for staging cross-border attacks in Russia’s Belgorod and Kursk regions. He had twice been sentenced in absentia to life imprisonment by kangaroo courts in Russia, The Sun reported. 

In March 2024, the RVC stormed into Russia and clashed with security forces before capturing Russian soldiers.

To paraphrase Mark Twain, reports of Kapustin's death were greatly exaggerated: 

RIP Denis Kapustin ?

He fell last night against Putin's forces.

He was a true warrior. He had a presence and force of personality that is seldom encountered.

I met him in 2016. I asked him about Putin. Is he not good? I asked. Is he not preferable to what we have in the West?… pic.twitter.com/bPL6Megb2A

— The Golden One (@TheGloriousLion) December 27, 2025

As RedState’s streiff reported in June, Ukraine also managed to pull off a major operational/intelligence victory when they launched an autonomous drone swarm assault on multiple Russian bomber bases. The plan was a year and a half in the making.

SURPRISE: Massive Ukrainian Drone Attack Deletes a Third of Russia's Bomber Fleet and Sends a Warning to the US

Trump met with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky at Mar-a-Lago in late December, and a peace deal is reportedly closer, but in the meantime, the fighting and death continue on. In this case, though, it would certainly appear as if the Ukrainians left the Russians with egg on their faces.