He was with his father during his campaign against the Cumans on 13 April 1185, immortalized in the epic The Tale of Igor's Campaign; he participated in the first battle, wherein he set off ahead of the main group along with Svyatoslav Olgovich of Rylsk and defeated the Cuman forces.
Said Končak to Gzak: “If the falcon flies to its nest, let us snare the falconet with a beautiful maiden.”
And said Gzak to Končak: “If we snare him with a beautiful maiden, we will have neither the falconet, nor will we have the beautiful maiden, so that the birds will begin to strike us in the field of the Cumans.” The Tale of Igor’s Campaign ends with Vladimir still captive to the khans.
[2] In the autumn of 1188, he returned home from captivity with Khan Konchak’s daughter Svoboda.
[1] Soon after, on 26 September, Rurik Rostislavich organized festivities to celebrate Vladimir’s wedding to Svoboda, attended by the rest of his family.