Russian officer helped Ukraine kill over 300 troops
A 26-year-old Russian lieutenant, Lev Stupnikov, served in the 36th Motorized Rifle Brigade before defecting to Ukraine in July 2024. He provided intelligence to Ukrainian forces while still in Russian service, contributing to attacks that killed over 300 Russian soldiers, including high-ranking officers.
Consensus
- Lev Stupnikov was a 26-year-old Russian lieutenant who served in the 36th Motorized Rifle Division.
- Stupnikov began cooperating with Ukrainian forces while still serving in the Russian army.
- He provided intelligence on Russian troop positions, frequencies, operations, and sabotage efforts.
- A major attack occurred on a Russian training site near Ugledar in February 2024, resulting in 68 deaths and 60 injuries, including 10 officers.
- The commander of the 36th Brigade, Colonel Gusein Musaev, was among those killed in the February 2024 attack.
- Stupnikov crossed the front line in July 2024 and joined the Russian Volunteer Corps.
- He provided Ukrainian forces with access to Russian drones and surveillance systems via his smartphone and passwords.
- His mother, Tatyana Yantsen, helped facilitate contact with Ukrainian operatives.
- Stupnikov's wife remained in Russia and publicly labeled his actions as treason.
- His cooperation became publicly known in September 2025 after an interview with Ukrainian blogger Dmitry Karpenko.
- Stupnikov’s mother and sister left Russia in February 2025 and moved to Ukraine.
Points of divergence
- Stupnikov was interviewed by Ukrainian blogger Dmitry Karpenko in September 2025, which made his story public. — meduza
- Stupnikov helped Ukrainian forces destroy over 300 Russian military personnel. — tg_astrapress
- Stupnikov helped organize a strike on a training site near Ugledar, where one of Ukraine’s main targets, Colonel Gusein Musaev, died. — tg_tvrain
- Stupnikov refused financial compensation for his cooperation with Ukraine. — tg_agentstvonews
- Stupnikov made a mistake by accidentally sending his own location, which triggered enemy fire, but survived. — novaya_eu
- Stupnikov helped load the bodies of fallen comrades after the February 2024 strike, pretending to be injured. — mediazona
Coverage (6 sources)
- The Wall Street Journal told the story of Russian defector Lev Stupnikov. His cooperation with VU led to the death of hundreds of his fellow soldiers — Meduza
- Russian officer passed intelligence to Ukraine that helped destroy more than 300 Russian military, — The Wall Street Journal — ASTRA
- Russian soldier who opposed Ukraine invasion helped Ukrainian forces strike killing more than 300 soldiers — Дождь (Telegram)
- WSJ told the story of 'one of the most effective divers in modern military history'. He helped Ukraine kill b... — Агентство. Новости
- WSJ: Russian officer who opposed invasion helped Ukraine deliver strikes killing more than 300 Russian military — Новая газета Европа
- WSJ: Lieutenant Lev Stupnikov who switched to Ukraine's side is involved in attacks in which more than 300 Russian military personnel died — Медиазона