"So when reports emerged last week that he had been killed in a drone attack in eastern Ukraine, Russian war bloggers and nationalist commentators were eager to dance on his grave. Not so fast, according to the enigmatic head of Ukraine's military intelligence agency: Nikitin, who also uses the name Kasputin or White Rex, is in fact alive. And the $500,000 bounty that Russia put out on his head was purportedly collected by Ukrainians themselves."
"His activities in right-wing subculture in Germany drew the attention of law enforcement in North Rhine-Westphalia state, which called him "one of the most influential neo-Nazi activists and the creator of a professional fighting subculture." About a year after the launch of the Kremlin's February 2022 invasion, a militia group made up mainly of Russians began conducting raids from Ukraine into Russia."
Denis Nikitin leads the Russian Volunteer Corps, a Russian-led militia that carried out cross-border raids from Ukraine into Russia in 2023. Reports claimed he was killed in a drone attack, but Ukraine's military intelligence head said he is alive and that Ukrainians collected the $500,000 Russian bounty. Nikitin, also known as Kasputin or White Rex, previously worked as a mixed martial arts fighter and ran a White Rex clothing line tied to white nationalist circles. German authorities described him as an influential neo‑Nazi activist. The episode illustrates use of maskirovka and psychological warfare by both sides.
Read at RadioFreeEurope/RadioLiberty
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