Since childhood, he has been involved in sports, notably football and martial arts. Together with his wife, he also been involved in skiing, claiming a personal record is 91 km/h. He was a member of the far-right
White Boys Club football fan (known as "
ultras") organization of the
football club Dynamo Kyiv. He graduated from the Department of
Germanic Philology at
Kyiv National Linguistic University, where he earned a degree with a specialty in
teaching English.
Military career War in Donbas From 11 July 2014 Prokopenko has participated in the
war in Donbas, initially as an enlisted soldier and then as leader of a
platoon and a
company. In a July 2016 interview he described improvements in the military capabilities of his troops: “Although we lost a lot of experienced guys from the old squad, we've grown in quantity and quality. Discipline and combat efficiency have improved. We used to run with bobby pistols and
sawn-off shots; now we have opportunities to work with tactical
tank groups,
armored vehicles,
artillery support. We gradually developed our
military science doctrine—starting with practice, not theory. In the course of training and fighting, the lads mastered
tactics and
small arms proficiency. Many new possibilities opened for us: we can operate independently on the frontlines, free of other subunits that constantly let us down in combat operations.” In September 2017 he was promoted to the rank of
major and given control of the
Azov Regiment, becoming the youngest commander in the Armed Forces of Ukraine. On 19 March 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the title
Hero of Ukraine to the commanders of two units that led the defense of Mariupol: Prokopenko and the commander of the
36th Separate Marine Brigade,
Colonel Volodymyr Baranyuk.
Major Denis Prokopenko received the highest honor “for bravery, for effective tactics to repel enemy attacks, and for protection of the hero city of Mariupol.” On 12 April 2022, Prokopenko appeared in a video message, to report on charges that
Russian chemical weapons had been dropped onto Mariupol in a
drone attack: “Yesterday the occupiers used a poisonous substance of unknown origin against military and civilians in Mariupol. The epicenter of the attack was not near the people, so contact with the substance was minimal, which possibly saved lives—but there are still consequences. Currently it's impossible to find out what substance poisoned people, because we are under complete blockade, and the site of the attack is under fire by the Russians to hide evidence of their crime.” Regardless of the sudden international focus on the
chemical attack, he went on to claim that thousands of civilians in the city had been killed and continued to be slaughtered by constant ongoing Russian
airstrikes,
naval bombardment, heavy
flamethrower systems,
artillery, and
phosphorus munitions. On 13 April 2022, it was confirmed by the official Twitter account of the Azov regiment that Prokopenko was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel. On 11 May 2022, Pope Francis met in the Vatican with the wives of Azov Regiment soldiers
Kateryna Prokopenko and
Yulia Fedosiuk. On 16 May 2022, a social media post was released by Prokopenko stating: "In order to save lives, the entire Mariupol garrison is implementing the approved decision of the Supreme Military Command and hopes for the support of the Ukrainian people." This statement follows Russia's decision to "evacuate" wounded Ukrainian soldiers from the
Azovstal plant and for them to be taken to the
DPR-controlled town of
Novoazovsk for treatment.
Captivity On 20 May 2022, he surrendered to the Russian military along with the last defenders of the Azovstal plant, after stating in a final video message on Telegram: "The higher military command has given the order to save the lives of the soldiers of our garrison and to stop defending the city." Since the
Russian Duma was attempting to classify Azov as a terrorist organization, the question of whether Russia considered Prokopenko as a prisoner of war (POW) remained in doubt. On 24 May, his wife Kateryna confirmed that he was in Russian captivity and that she had been able to talk to him on the phone.
Exchange On 21 September 2022, Prokopenko was released in a prisoner swap. Under the agreement, Prokopenko and four other top Ukrainian commanders from the Azovstal siege were required to stay in
Turkey until the end of the war. In a May 2023 interview, Kateryna Prokopenko gave details of her husband's stay in Turkey: "They are at a closed security facility. Even we do not know where exactly. They are not at a resort or sea. They have a certain regime, regulated calls, a schedule. They are not being tortured like in Russia, but, nevertheless, they are not completely free." She said that while she was grateful for the deal that got Denys out of Russian captivity, she expressed hope that he would return to Ukraine soon.
Return to Ukraine On 8 July 2023, Ukrainian president
Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced that Azov commanders had been brought back to Ukraine from Turkey, posting a video of five Azov commanders boarding his plane, including Prokopenko. On 17 July, in a press release by Azov, Prokopenko announced he would resume his military service, and return to command of the Azov Brigade.
Return to Azov On 4 August 2023, Prokopenko took part in tactical exercises of the personnel. On 23 August 2023, Azov's press service published a photo of "Redis" at the command post on the front line holding a flag on the occasion of a national holiday. Since August 2023, the Azov brigade under the command of Prokopenko has been performing combat missions in the Lyman direction in the area of the
Serebryansky forest. In the first weeks, the unit managed to advance Ukrainian positions with minimal losses. In April 2025 Prokopenko was promoted to
colonel and given command of the
1st Corps of the Ukrainian National Guard "Azov", a
corps which includes the
Azov Brigade along with four other National Guard brigades (
1st Presidential Operational Brigade,
14th Chervona Kalyna Brigade,
15th Operational Brigade and the 20th Operational Brigade "Lyubart"). This move is part of a broader military reform within Ukraine, aiming to enhance the structure and operational effectiveness of its armed forces. == Controversy ==