January 6, 2026
He doesn’t get along with neo-Nazis. Navalny strategist Leonid Volkov under fire in Lithuania for disparaging paramilitary leader ‘White Rex’ and top Ukrainian officials
Lithuania’s Migration Department is investigating Leonid Volkov, head of political projects at the Anti-Corruption Foundation. The move follows comments Volkov made about the reported “death” of neo-Nazi paramilitary leader Denis Kapustin. Also known as Denis Nikitin and “White Rex,” Kapustin fights alongside Ukraine in the Russian Volunteer Corps. The outlet Delfi was the first to report the development, citing Migration Department chief adviser Rokas Pukinskas. According to Pukinskas, the department has requested that Lithuania’s State Security Department determine whether Volkov’s statements pose a national security threat. The outcome of that review could jeopardize Volkov’s residence permit in Lithuania.
TL;DR
- Lithuania's Migration Department is investigating Leonid Volkov due to comments made about Denis Kapustin, leader of the Russian Volunteer Corps.
- Volkov's statements, allegedly endorsing Kapustin's faked death and criticizing Ukrainian officials, are being reviewed for national security threats.
- The investigation could jeopardize Volkov's residency permit in Lithuania.
- Volkov, a political projects head at the Anti-Corruption Foundation, later expressed regret for his 'heated' tone but maintained his anti-neo-Nazi stance.
- Lithuanian officials have compared Volkov to Dmitry Medvedev and questioned why Lithuania shelters individuals of 'questionable reputation'.
- Denis Kapustin, identified as a neo-Nazi, heads the Russian Volunteer Corps, a group with far-right leanings fighting alongside Ukraine.
- Kapustin publicly accused Volkov of acting like a Kremlin intelligence asset, aiming to undermine the Russian opposition.