Stupnikov’s first act came in February 2024 when he photographed a field exercise near the front line, estimated the 68‑man contingent, and sent the exact coordinates to his Ukrainian handler. The ensuing missile barrage claimed 68 Russian soldiers, including Colonel Gusein Musayev, and left 60 wounded, a strike that shocked the brigade’s command staff.
In March, the same intelligence network guided Ukrainian forces to a brigade gathering, killing several officers in a single attack. By May, a strike on a former hotel’s basement, where two assault units were holed up, killed 20 soldiers, including a captain. Each operation tightened the net around the 36th Motor Rifle Brigade, eroding its operational secrecy.
Russian commanders grew suspicious when casualties continued to mount. The brigade’s chief of staff publicly complained that “our operations are failing” and voiced concern that a spy had infiltrated the ranks. Stupnikov, knowing he was exposed, accidentally sent a map screenshot of his own basement to his contact; a subsequent strike hit that building, yet he survived.
In July, Ukrainian drones guided Stupnikov across no‑man’s‑land to a safe point near Mykilske. He left his weapons behind, answered the password with a local joke, and was escorted to safety. Before surrendering, he handed over a smartphone that unlocked several Russian drone feeds, ensuring Ukraine could keep watching the brigade’s movements.
Stupnikov’s escape did not end his story. He joined the Russian Volunteer Corps, a Ukrainian unit composed of Russians opposing Putin. Now he fights on the front lines against the very soldiers he once protected.
Behind the statistics are human stories: a family displaced by the missile barrage now sleeps in a makeshift shelter near Mykilske, while a former platoon sergeant who survived the May strike recounts watching his unit’s radio chatter turn into a volley of bullets.
The Russian Ministry of Defence has announced an internal investigation into the 36th Motor Rifle Brigade, and a court will hear the case against Stupnikov next month. Ukrainian forces plan to use the recovered drone feeds to target remaining Russian units before the next winter offensive.