On January 2, the General Department of Defense Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) officially issued a notice clarifying rumors about the fate of Mr. Denis Kapustin, head of the Russian Volunteer Corps - an armed organization gathering Russian fighters with pro-Ukrainian stance.
This agency confirmed that the information about Mr. Kapustin's death spread earlier was inaccurate. In fact, this is a meticulously staged play within the special professional operation of the security forces.
GUR said they had collected intelligence about a assassination contract targeting Mr. Kapustin. Accordingly, the enemy is said to have spent a large amount of money, up to 500,000 USD, to hire people to carry out this attack.
Faced with that serious threat, Ukrainian intelligence secretly staged a fake scene to deceive the enemy that the assassination had been successful.
The results of this counter-espionage operation were assessed by GUR as a complete success. Mr. Kapustin's life was absolutely preserved.
After the campaign ended, Mr. Kapustin reappeared and declared his readiness to continue running his unit. It is known that Mr. Kapustin is an influential figure in the volunteer military community, who used to run the White Rex fashion brand and organize martial arts events before participating in combat.
This method of operation of Ukrainian intelligence recalls an event that once shocked international media in 2018: The assassination attempt that missed journalist Arkady Babchenko.
At that time, the whole world was shocked by the news that Mr. Babchenko was shot dead at his home in Kiev. Images of the scene and condolences messages appeared rampant in the newspapers.
However, less than 24 hours later, this journalist suddenly appeared healthy at a press conference, surprising public opinion. Ukrainian officials then explained that they were forced to spread false information about Babchenko's death to deceive those who ordered murder.
Despite facing many mixed debates about information transparency, Kiev still affirms that this is the most necessary and effective professional measure to root out underground assassination networks.
