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The leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC), which battled alongside Ukraine against Russian troops, has been killed in action. Russian news sources, such as RIA Novosti, reported on the 27th (local time), referencing Ukrainian media and the RVC’s Telegram channel, that Denis Kapustin, 41, the founder and head of the group, was killed on the frontline in Zaporizhzhia Oblast, Ukraine.

The death resulted from an attack by a suicide drone. On the same day, the RVC stated in a Telegram message, “Commander Kapustin was killed by a Russian first-person view (FPV) drone strike.” FPV drones, operated by pilots using goggles to directly crash into targets, are a key example of an asymmetric weapon that has changed the dynamics of the Ukraine conflict. The RVC also said, “We will definitely seek retaliation, and your memory will endure.”

Prior to wearing a military uniform, he was involved under the alias “White Rex” within far-right groups across Europe. Born in Moscow in 1984, Kapustin relocated to Germany in 2001 as a Jewish refugee but became deeply involved in neo-Nazi skinhead culture, even running a white supremacist clothing line. He was prohibited from entering Germany and subsequently moved to Ukraine, where he described himself as a “right-wing conservative.” He refuted claims of being a Nazi supporter, asserting, “I do not endorse Hitler’s ideology.”

Opposing Russia’s multicultural approach because of the Ukraine invasion and seeking to remove the Putin government, he established the RVC in August 2022 to carry out armed conflict. The group’s website states, ‘Only our victory will bring peace to Russia,’ and it carried out cross-border attacks into Russia’s Bryansk and Belgorod areas in 2023 and 2024. Backed by Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Agency (GUR), the RVC engaged in regular combat against Russian troops in significant battle zones such as Zaporizhzhia and Kherson.

Russian officials labeled him as a national enemy and a Level 1 terrorist, seeking penalties. The Federal Security Service (FSB) looked into allegations that Kapustin, being a Russian citizen, took part in military actions supporting Ukraine and tried to destroy Russian energy infrastructure. A Russian court recently imposed a life sentence on him in his absence for charges of treason and terrorism.