How Ukrainian spies tricked Russia into paying a $US500,000 bounty

London: As far as the Russians were concerned, they had got their man.

Denis Kapustin, one of the most prominent anti-Putin Russians fighting on behalf of Ukraine, was reported dead on December 27, assassinated by a drone on the southern front.

He had long been hunted by Moscow, and the price on his head reflected this: Russian intelligence services had offered $US500,000 ($746,475) to anyone who killed him.

Russia paid this out after news broke of the successful hit last week. But what Russian President Vladimir Putin’s intelligence services did not know was that they had handed the money directly to Ukraine.

https://www.theage.com.au/world/europe/how-ukrainian-spies-tricked-russia-into-paying-a-us500-000-bounty-20260102-p5nrat.html

Archive: https://archive.md/oIDCv

Well played Ukraine!