Russian Volunteer Corps Deputy Commander Disappears in Kyiv

The Russian Volunteer Corps (RVC) has said that its deputy commander for combat operations, Stepan Kaplunov, was abducted in the courtyard of his home. According to RVC chief of staff Alexander Fortuna, the unit has no information about the serviceman’s whereabouts or whether any charges have been brought against him.

Kaplunov, also known by the call signs “Slavyan” and “Landsknecht”, disappeared several days ago. The RVC command said it had contacted Ukraine’s Security Service (SBU), State Bureau of Investigation (DBR) and military intelligence, as well as informed ombudsmen and submitted lawyers’ requests. Ukrainian security agencies have not publicly confirmed the circumstances of Kaplunov’s detention or his whereabouts.

Video of the detention emerged before the RVC statement

The case gained another dimension after a video appeared on social media showing men in civilian clothes detaining a man and identifying themselves as National Police officers. Ukrainian media reported that the detainee could be Kaplunov, although there has been no official confirmation of his identity or details of the operation.

According to ZAXID.NET, reports also circulated on social media in late August about the detention of a serviceman from the Ukrainian military intelligence special unit “Timur”, who was identified as Kaplunov. The police, DBR, SBU and military intelligence did not comment publicly on the reports.

This leaves a key question unanswered: whether the incident was an unlawful abduction, as claimed by the RVC, or a detention carried out as part of a criminal or military investigation.

Russian media offer a different version

Russian state media have already circulated an alternative account of the incident.

On August 31, TASS, citing unnamed Russian security sources, reported that the man detained in Kyiv was allegedly a Ukrainian military intelligence agent and identified him as Stepan Kaplunov. The agency also claimed that reports of an abduction by unknown individuals were false because the video showed people identifying themselves as police officers.

TASS further described Kaplunov as a neo-Nazi and claimed that he had allegedly admitted killing residents of Donbas “out of professional interest”. These allegations were attributed to unnamed Russian security officials and have not been independently verified. The agency also reported that Kaplunov had been involved in the creation of the RVC in 2022.

The Russian version of events therefore directly contradicts the account given by the RVC. Moscow's narrative portrays the incident as a detention by Ukrainian law enforcement, while the RVC says its serviceman disappeared without an explanation of his legal status.

Kaplunov is part of the RVC leadership

Stepan Kaplunov is a prominent member of the Russian Volunteer Corps, a formation of Russian citizens fighting alongside Ukrainian forces against the Russian military.

Open-source reports have linked Kaplunov to the RVC since its early years. He has also been known by the call signs “Slavyan” and “Landsknecht”.

In July 2026, Kaplunov received Ukrainian military decorations. According to ZAXID.NET, these included the Order for Courage, the Medal for Combat Merit and the Medal for Military Service to Ukraine. The RVC highlighted that the awards were presented only a month before his disappearance.

The RVC became known for cross-border operations on Russian territory, including raids in the Bryansk and Belgorod regions. The Russian authorities have designated the corps a terrorist organisation and prosecute its members.

The RVC has previously been targeted by Russian operations

The case involving Kaplunov comes against the backdrop of previous attempts by Russian security services to target the corps’ leadership.

At the beginning of 2026, Ukrainian military intelligence said that Russian security services had organised an operation to assassinate RVC commander Denis Kapustin. His death was staged as part of a Ukrainian intelligence operation, after which Kapustin remained alive. According to the Ukrainian side, Russian agencies had allocated $500,000 for his assassination.

The episode demonstrated that Russian security services view the RVC not only as a military formation operating against Russian forces, but also as a network of opponents of the Russian authorities that they seek to neutralise beyond the immediate battlefield.

What is known so far

There are currently two main versions of events.

The RVC says Kaplunov was abducted by unidentified individuals near his home and that Ukrainian state institutions have not provided the unit with information about his whereabouts or status. Ukrainian law-enforcement and intelligence agencies have not publicly confirmed this version, but neither have they announced an official detention of Kaplunov.

Russian state media, citing unnamed security sources, claim the opposite — that Kaplunov was detained by Ukrainian police and is a serviceman of Ukrainian military intelligence.