Denis Kapustin, known by the call sign WhiteRex and serving as commander of the Russian Volunteer Corps, was killed during a combat operation on the Zaporizhzhia front on the night of December 26 to 27. His death was confirmed by the Russian Volunteer Corps itself, a military and political formation made up of Russian nationals fighting on Ukraine’s side since 2014.

According to the information released by the unit, Kapustin was fatally wounded after his position was struck by an FPV drone. The incident occurred while he was carrying out a combat mission in the Zaporizhzhia direction. The organisation stated that the exact circumstances surrounding the strike are still being clarified.

In a brief statement, the Russian Volunteer Corps said that further details would be made public once the investigation into the incident is completed. The group also issued a message pledging retaliation, declaring that Kapustin’s death would be avenged.

Separate reports from Ukrainian media, citing the Russian Volunteer Corps, confirmed the same sequence of events, noting that the commander was killed during nighttime operations as a result of a drone attack. No additional operational details were disclosed.

During his years in Germany, particularly in Cologne, Denis Kapustin became radicalised and emerged as a prominent figure within Europe’s far-right milieu, closely linked to football hooligan networks and street violence, including a leadership role during riots at the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament in Marseille. German authorities in North Rhine-Westphalia later described him as one of the country’s most influential neo-Nazi activists, crediting him with systematising and professionalising violent subcultures.

He was also behind the White Rex lifestyle brand, which sold clothing bearing symbols and slogans associated with neo-Nazi ideology, and used mixed martial arts as a platform to connect and train far-right activists across Europe and the United States. By 2018, Kapustin was organising combat sports events, seminars and weapons training in multiple countries, maintaining links with extremist fan groups and appearing at neo-fascist gatherings such as Kampf der Nibelungen, becoming a central figure in transnational networks promoting political violence.

His activities were curtailed in 2019 when Germany imposed a Schengen-wide entry ban, also recognised by Switzerland, citing actions against democratic order, though he reportedly continued providing training to far-right groups in Switzerland and Britain. While Kapustin publicly portrayed himself as a nationalist and later rejected the neo-Nazi label, he supported Ukraine’s Euromaidan movement, moved to Ukraine in 2018, worked with the Azov Battalion until 2019, and in 2022 founded the Russian Volunteer Corps to fight alongside Ukraine, later taking part in cross-border raids into Russia. Russian authorities subsequently designated him a terrorist and extremist, sentencing him in absentia to life imprisonment for treason and terrorism in 2023.

In a related context, Ukrainian sources also recalled the recent death of 48 year old photographer and serviceman Yuriy Kostyshyn, known by the nickname Kit Kharakternyk. Kostyshyn fought in the 93rd and 44th brigades, took part in the defense of Kyiv, and was known for documenting the war through his frontline photography, including personal exhibitions of his work. He was killed during battles for Ukraine’s independence.