Propagandists claim that, according to them, only 173 military personnel returned to Ukraine in exchange for 248 Russian citizens. According to them, the exchange allegedly took place in the format of 173 people on both sides. At the same time, Russia additionally received 75 military personnel for those five Azovstal defense commanders, whom Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi took from Turkey in the summer of 2023. It is not true.

In fact, the Ukrainian side officially reported that 230 people returned to their homeland, including 130 military personnel, 55 national guardsmen, 38 border guards, one policeman and six civilians.

Propagandists spread such fakes to create distrust in the Ukrainian authorities. They say that Kyiv does not care about the fate of prisoners. They spread such fabrications whenever there is talk of an exchange of prisoners. So, in the summer, when the exchange of Azovstal commanders was called a violation of previous agreements. They say that the military should have remained in Turkey until the end of hostilities.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric on social networks are disseminating information that allegedly, during an IDF raid in the Gaza Strip, the book Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler was discovered, which was allegedly accidentally left behind by one of the Azov military units while staying at an Israeli clinic. However, this is manipulation.

Analysts from the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. They found out that the original source of these statements is a Russian satirical telegram channel called “here is my Yandex wallet”. The authors of the channel define their publications as “a parody and satire of political reality, only verified fakes”. This “news” first appeared on the channel on November 13 and was circulated on the Internet, appearing to be true information. The photo accompanying this story is a screenshot from an address by Israeli President Isaac Herzog on November 12, 2023. In it, Herzog stated that the book Mein Kampf by Adolf Hitler was found in the personal belongings of a Hamas terrorist in the northern Gaza Strip. The Ukrainian military has nothing to do with this incident.

By spreading such manipulations, propagandists want to justify Russian aggression against Ukraine and “denazification”. Detector Media continued to refute other propaganda materials in support of “denazification”.

Propagandists spreading pro-Russian rhetoric in the media claim that the Azov battalion allegedly started a campaign to find volunteers in France to participate in the war in Ukraine. Like, even a site with the necessary information indicates this. This is a fake.

Specialists of the Center of Countering Disinformation of the National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine drew attention to it. They found out that there is no information about the start of the recruiting campaign in France on the official pages of the battalion. What's more, the postal address and fax of the site, which is distributed by propagandists, is in Germany, which does not match the legend of the fake.

By spreading such fakes, the Russians are trying to discredit the Ukrainian military and individual brigades in the international arena. In addition, in this way they want to cause panic among foreigners. They said that Ukraine is in massive need of military personnel, and that is why it is looking for them abroad. Detector Media has repeatedly refuted other Russian messages, manipulations and fakes aimed at discrediting the Azov battalion.

This information is disseminated by pro-Kremlin media. The authors of messages on this topic note that on the day of the autumn equinox on September 22, Azov allegedly performed a satanic ritual. The Russians add stolen photographs from the unit’s social networks to the publication. However, this is fake.

The fact-checkers of the BezBrekhni (No lies) project found out that every year on September 22, soldiers of the regiment honor the memory of the dead. This is a tradition for fighters. Nothing satanic or forbidden happened during these events. There are days of remembrance for the dead in most religions of the world. And many of the unit’s customs are associated with ancient Slavic holidays, so the day of the equinox was chosen for celebration.

Thus, Russian media devalue and discredit the defenders of Ukraine. This is not the first time that the enemy has been promoting the narrative of Satanism and Nazism of the Azov regiment, which we have written about many times before.

Russian media are disseminating information that Ukrainian Serhii Dubinin, “associated” with the Azov battalion, stormed the Capitol on January 6, 2021. In addition, propagandists claim that American intelligence services “have already discovered other Ukrainians who were near the Capitol that day. But none of them were brought to justice.” It's fake.

Analysts from The Insider project drew attention to it. They found out that the photo that is being distributed online as evidence of this thesis shows Inter TV channel operator Serhii Dubinin. He filmed reports at the Donetsk airport, in other places along the collision line in 2014, and was even put on the wanted list of the so-called LNR for “carrying out terrorist activities”. On January 6, 2021, he was reporting on the onslaught of the Capitol for the Details program. During the shooting, he took a photo with Jacob Chansley, a man with the pseudonym Shaman Q-Anonu, which is said to be evidence of his participation in the onslaught. In fact, Dubinin has nothing to do with either the Trumpists or Azov.

With the help of this fake, Russia wants to discredit the Ukrainians, justify its actions against them and indicate the “selectivity” of American justice. They say that the participants in the assault were convicted, but the Ukrainians were condemned not once because of the war.

In the Kremlin media and the Russian segment of Facebook they disseminate information that the commander of Azov, Denys Prokopenko “Redis”, who returned from Turkey after being extracted from Russian captivity, was allegedly taken prisoner again on August 18-19. They refer to the Russian propagandist Semen Pehov. Prokopenko was allegedly taken prisoner near the village of Mala Tavolzhanka. It's fake.

The case was investigated by the fact-checkers of the StopFake project. The telegram channel of the Russian propagandist, cited by social media users and pro-Kremlin media, does not contain information about the second capture. Also, there is no settlement with the name Mala Tavolzhanka, which is similar to the name Tavilzhanka, a village in the Dvorichanskyi settlement society of the Kupiansk district of the Kharkiv region. In addition, on August 23, on the Day of the State Flag of Ukraine, a fresh photo with Prokopenko appeared on the official pages of Azov.

Thus, the Russian propaganda is trying to sow panic and discouragement among the Ukrainian military and civilians. The enemy is trying to demoralize the Ukrainians. Earlier, we refuted the fake that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra will be populated by servicemen of the Azov battalion.

Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric spread information that the Azovstal garrison allegedly surrendered without the order of Volodymyr Zelenskyi in order to save their own lives. It's fake.

The fact-checkers of the VoxCheck project drew attention to the case. The operation to leave Azovstal was coordinated with the leadership of Ukraine, the garrison carried out the order of the highest military command. On May 16, 2022, the commander of Azov, Denys Prokopenko, announced that the defenders of Mariupol had complied with the order of the top military leadership. On May 17, 2022, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine confirmed that the commanders of units at Azovstal received an order to save the lives of personnel.

Thus, Russian propaganda is trying to discredit the Azov battalion and the defenders of Mariupol, saying that they themselves decided to leave Azovstal, and the top military leadership has no influence on them. Allegedly, the Ukrainians again made heroes out of traitors. Earlier, we refuted the fake that NATO could involve the Azov and Kraken battalions to suppress protests in France.

Anonymous telegram channels and Russian media broadcasting pro-Kremlin rhetoric are spreading reports that NATO is considering enlisting the Azov and Kraken battalions to quell protests in France. This was allegedly written on the official website of the Alliance with reference to NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg. It's fake.

The Center for Counteracting Disinformation drew attention to the case. To spread it, Russian propaganda used a fake page of the Alliance. Moreover, NATO Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg did not make such statements.

In this way, Russian propagandists are trying to discredit the Azov and Kraken battalions, as well as to emphasize that Ukraine is a puppet in the hands of the West. Earlier, Detector Media refuted the fake that in Poltava people sold Easter sets “with symbols of the Nazis” and the Azov regiment.

Propagandists spread information that the telegram channels of the Azov brigade allegedly publish racist messages and the authors of the messages rejoice at the deaths of children as a result of the earthquake in Turkey on February 6. Anonymous telegram channels broadcasting pro-Russian rhetoric add: this is what kind of Nazism Russia is fighting against in Ukraine. It's fake.

Analysts of the VoxCheck project drew attention to it. The messages that the propagandists write about are published in the AZOV Ukraine Supporters telegram channel, which is conducted in English and has nothing to do with the Azov Brigade. In particular, the authors of the channel regularly publish their own messages and repost them from other channels. They are mostly conspiratorial in nature. For example, one can find unconfirmed English-language reports about supposedly “Ukrainian Nazis” in it. The creators of the channel also suggest that the earthquake in Turkey was artificially created by the United States.

At the same time, the brigade's official telegram channel is called “AZOV” and publishes content in Ukrainian. In addition, there are no publications on the earthquake in Turkey on the channel. Moreover, as of today, Armenians, Azerbaijanis, Georgians, Russians, and Hungarians serve in the Azov Brigade. Accordingly, the brigade's claims of “racist views” are not true.

Thus, propagandists devalue someone else's grief in order to discredit the Armed Forces of Ukraine and justify the crimes of Russians. Like, Russia started the war to fight such manifestations of Nazism. Russian media are actively using the tragedy in Turkey to create and spread fakes and conspiracy theories directed against Ukraine.

In social networks, reports are spreading that the Lviv clinic for reproductive medicine “Alternative” offers its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. Like, for advertising, the clinic used the slogan “Restore the nation!” and the emblem of Azov. It's fake.

The clinic “Alternative” does not offer its clients “reproductive tissues of the defenders of Azovstal”. As the fact-checkers of the project “Beyond the News” found out, the screen of the clinic’s advertising post on Facebook was falsified in a photo editor. The name of the clinic was written incorrectly, despite the fact that the contact details are real: address, mobile number, license number of the Ministry of Health of Ukraine. Fake Ukrainian-language advertising was mostly shared on Russian resources, and English-language advertising was shared on Twitter. The photo of the boy used in the ad is most likely generated by ThisPersonDoesNotExist.com, which uses artificial intelligence algorithms to create photos of people that look as real as possible, but who never existed. The administration of the clinic did deny the existence of such services as well.

Russian propaganda systematically spreads fakes in relation to the people of Azov, nazism and fascism in Ukraine, for which Russia allegedly has the right to punish.

In the Russian media, videos of captured Ukrainian soldiers who allegedly decided to stay in the temporarily occupied territory of the Donetsk and Luhansk regions because of their reluctance to fight and the fear of being on the front line again are widely distributed. Oleksandr Zhizhyn is among the prisoners who talk about it. Russian propagandists distributed the video with him back in early April. Then he said that his team was at the Mariupol metallurgical plant named after Ilyich, which the Russians occupied on March 5. Zhizhin surrendered and since then became a hero in the Russian media with his fiction about the crimes of "Azov". On August 13, Zhizhyn once again became the hero of the Russian news that more and more Ukrainian prisoners of war are refusing to return home and, they say, are even declaring their readiness to act with weapons in their hands on the side of the occupiers of Donbas.

Russian propaganda spreads such messages from time to time to strengthen the opinion in society that surrendering is better than defending Ukraine from the invaders. And also that prisoners of war live much better in prison than in freedom. In this way, the Russians cover up the fact that hunger, abuse, and murder await Ukrainian prisoners of war.

The other day it became known that Russia is preparing a show trial of Ukrainian prisoners of war in Mariupol. For this purpose, the occupiers assembled prison cells on the stage of the Chamber Philharmonic.

Such messages are spread in the Russian media. They enter the Ukrainian information space through anonymous Telegram channels and social networks.

As the Center for Combating Disinformation writes, the topic of the "inevitable international tribunal" over prisoners of war from "Azovstal" has been systematically in the focus of propagandists since May 2022. In Russia, "Azov" has already been recognized as a terrorist organization and its activities have been banned on its territory. However, any attempt to "convict" the Azov people would be outside the bounds of international law, as the rights of prisoners of war are guaranteed by international conventions. Prisoners of war performed the duties defined by the state and the law to protect the sovereignty of Ukraine.

Russian media and anonymous telegram channels write about this. He said that the goal of the Armed Forces of Ukraine was to put psychological pressure on Ukrainian soldiers who "have already laid down their arms" or may become prisoners in the future. It is not true.

StopFake fact-checkers checked the quotes of the captive Serhii Volynsky, which are used by propagandists. In fact, he described the events in Olenivka as an explosion, not as shelling. Volynsky does note that the tragedy will affect the condition and psyche of the prisoners, but not in the context suggested by Russian propagandists. Volynskyi also says that he doesn't know the cause of the fire. There are no accusations against the Ukrainian Armed Forces in the prisoner's words.

Russian media and telegram channels report it. According to reports, Kostyantyn Nikitenko allegedly drove around Mariupol and "shot at people for a laugh." According to the Russian propagandist Dmytro Steshin, it seems that the Ukrainian military himself posted a video of this on the Internet.

As StopFake writes, the video from the cockpit of the armored personnel carrier shows how a group of people fall into the field of view of the armored vehicle. At first, the crew was unsure whether it was the Ukrainian or Russian military. Convinced that they were Russians, they opened fire. There is no visible evidence of the presence of civilians in the video. Only people in military uniform can be seen in the spot shots. The dialogues inside the armored car do not mention civilians nor reflect that this is "entertainment." It can also be seen that a group of soldiers, having noticed an armored personnel carrier, is trying to hide. The video was first published on April 24 on his Telegram channel by People's Deputy Yury Mysyagin, deputy of the VRU Committee on National Security, Defense, and Intelligence, as an illustration of the fact that a Ukrainian armored personnel carrier destroyed a group of Russian soldiers. The video metadata on Miyagin's channel indicates only the file's date of creation - April 24, 2022. Since the first publication of the video, there has been no evidence or mention of shooting at civilians in Mariupol.

For the first time, information about this emerged on July 9, after it became known about the verdict of the so-called tribunal on the death penalty for two captured Azov fighters. Kostyantyn Nikitenko allegedly shot civilians of Mariupol during combat missions, and his colleague Mykola "Frost" Kush allegedly killed captured marines. The so-called Minister of Justice of the "DNR," Yuriy Syrovatko, also stated that the fighters were "convicted" for their alleged crimes. But after that, there was no additional information about the "court" or the fate of the Ukrainian military.

Due to the spread of fakes, the so-called DPR is trying to justify crimes against Ukrainian service members captured by illegal military formations.

The fake, repeatedly refuted, is spreading on social networks again - about the crucifixion of an LPR soldier by the Azov Battalion. The VoxCheck project drew attention to this.

This video, in which a man is allegedly crucified and set on fire, has existed since 2015. Then the Russian media spread the video about the group "Kiber Berkut" - a Russian or pro-Russian hacker group - which allegedly received this video from the Azov fighters. According to the publication, there is no confirmation of the reality of this video or the fact that there is no Azov fighter in the video. Moreover, it is impossible to identify people on the video or confirm that it is not a production video.

At the same time, Kiber ​​Berkut has repeatedly disseminated fakes created by this group - non-existent orders, documents, fake videos, and photos allegedly obtained by Ukrainian hacking websites. The Azov Regiment reported in 2015 that it had nothing to do with this video. In addition, even the Russian media outlets that distributed the video wrote that there was no evidence that the video was authentic. But after the start of a massive information campaign against Azov in the Russian media in early 2022, this fake is again actively spread - and without the postscript "unverified video."

Another fake document was published by the Russian state publication RIA Novosti. It states that most (70%) of Mariupol residents are pro-Russian. And it also seems to contain an order in case of hostilities to create positions in populated areas.

According to fact-checkers from StopFake, the document has a lot of spelling mistakes. It is written in two languages ​​- for example, instead of the stamp "tayemno," on the document is written "sekretno." There are other mistakes. So, it is another attempt to accuse the Armed Forces of using the civilian population as a "living shield" and to prove to the Russians that many people in Ukraine support the war and are waiting for "liberators".

On social networks, the English-speaking audience is being spread photos of allegedly with the Ukrainian military burning the flag of the Netherlands, noting that they confused it with the flag of Russia. These posts are accompanied by cursing and ridicule of Ukrainian defenders. Apparently, this fake is intended to discredit the Ukrainian military among foreigners, encouraging them to give up their support for Ukraine and force their governments to do the same, which is highly beneficial for the Kremlin.

In fact, it's a double fake. After all, this video was shot in 2016, not after the full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine. In the video entitled "Appeal of Azov fighters to the Netherlands regarding the referendum on the Ukraine-EU association," fighters in black balaclavas purposefully burn the flag of the Netherlands. They also threaten the citizens of the Netherlands with terrorist attacks if they do not support the Association Agreement between Ukraine and the European Union in a local referendum.

This fake is double because "Azov" has nothing to do with this video. On the eve of the referendum in the Netherlands in 2016, it was distributed by Russian propaganda resources linked to the newly created site. The purpose of this fake was to damage Ukraine's international reputation. Representatives of Azov then denied the involvement of their fighters in the video. At first glance, it is immediately apparent that these cannot be Azov fighters, they have no symbol, and the uniform and shoes are not the ones worn by our soldiers. But the funniest thing in this video is the airsoft weapon these actors held, " said Andriy Dyachenko, then deputy commander of the Azov.

The explosion of a nitrogen tank at the Azot plant in Sievierodonetsk took place on May 31, when an orange-brown glow could be seen over the city. According to StopFake, the fierce battle between the Russian military and the Armed Forces occurred in Sievierodonetsk. According to the Luhansk Regional State Administration and the State Special Communications Service of Ukraine, the Russian military launched an air strike on the building of the Azot plant to drive the Armed Forces out of its fortified area. Around 19:00, the first reports of a nitrogen tank explosion began to arrive from Sievierodonetsk. According to StopFake, the version about the deliberate explosion of nitrogen tanks by the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the Azot plant in Sievierodonetsk to cover the occupied territories with a poisonous cloud seems unreliable. At the time of the explosion, a completely unfavorable wind was blowing, which would have blown away the toxic cloud on the Ukrainian military. We want to remind you that this is not the first time that Russian propaganda has tried to blame the crimes of the Russian army on the Ukrainian military. .

The Russian media are spreading another fake about Azov fighters. They claim that they found money from the Azov Regiment fighters who left Azovstal with them - euros, dollars, and hryvnias, as well as a lot of gold. The program "Vesti" even shot a story called "Gold of Azov," where he spread this fake, referring to a single statement by a "representative of the DPR." He did not provide any evidence of gold or money.

But at the same time, the plot has the usual logical gaps for propaganda. For example, the journalist says that the Azov military allegedly tried to hide among other military and civilians who were at the plant and also left its territory and were taken, prisoner. But, according to militants, the so-called "DPR," all Azov residents have a "distinctive feature: each has a large amount of money, and dollars, euros, hryvnia, and a lot of gold with tags." Why people who tried to "hide" among others had this "distinctive feature" all at once, the audience did not explain.

It is another attempt to discredit the Azov fighters and made according to "understandable" patterns for viewers of the channel. If the Russian military themselves are looters and constantly steal things in Ukrainian apartments or rob stores, they must believe that the Ukrainian army is doing the same.

The Russian media are spreading another fake about Azov fighters. They claim that they found money from the Azov Regiment fighters who left Azovstal with them - euros, dollars, and hryvnias, as well as a lot of gold. The program "Vesti" even shot a story called "Gold of Azov," where he spread this fake, referring to a single statement by a "representative of the DNR." He did not provide any evidence of gold or money.

But at the same time, the plot has the usual logical gaps for propaganda. For example, the journalist says that the Azov military allegedly tried to hide among other military and civilians who were at the plant and also left its territory and were taken, prisoner. But, according to militants, the so-called "DPR," all Azov residents have a "distinctive feature: each has a large amount of money, and dollars, euros, hryvnias, and a lot of gold with tags." Why people who tried to "hide" among others had this "distinctive feature" all at once, the audience did not explain.

It is another attempt to discredit the Azov fighters and made according to "understandable" patterns for viewers of the channel. If the Russian military themselves are looters and constantly steal things in Ukrainian apartments or rob stores, they must believe that the Ukrainian army is doing the same.

It is spread on social networks and media that the OSCE allegedly provided the Azov Regiment with communications and intelligence in Mariupol. According to StopFake, these reports refer to pro-Russian militants from the occupied parts of the Donetsk region, who are distributing photos and saying that they allegedly found a satellite phone with a sticker of the organization on Azovstal.

The OSCE denied allegations of communications and intelligence to the Ukrainian military at Azovstal, saying it had never provided any additional information other than open official reports. The organization says that since the start of hostilities on February 24, 2022, the Mission has recorded increasingly hostile public rhetoric against the OSCE SMMU, especially in areas not controlled by the Ukrainian government. "False, unsubstantiated, and increasingly outrageous allegations have been made about the SMMU, which the OSCE has refuted. As for Mariupol, the SMMU has not controlled its office in Mariupol since March 15 due to ongoing fighting, ” a spokesman told StopFake. The fact-checkers noted that there was no evidence that the phone with the OSCE sticker was found on Azovstal and that the Ukrainian military used it. They pointed out that the phone " with a high probability could be found in the building of the former OSCE office in Mariupol."

The Russian media disseminate such information regarding the statement of the Center for Defense Management of the Russian Federation. The reports say that the Ukrainian military, in particular soldiers of the Azov, allegedly forcibly detained civilians with children in a kindergarten in the village of Borova, Kharkiv region. There, the Ukrainian military allegedly equipped barracks and placed heavy military equipment, artillery, and multiple launch rocket systems on the institution's territory. According to StopFake, despite loud statements from the Russian Ministry of Defense, the information that the Ukrainian military forcibly keeps civilians in Borova kindergarten is not valid. This was stated by the local authorities of the village on their official Facebook page, "Borivska selyschchna rada." 

Such information is spread on social networks. In particular, the Russian-speaking and Georgian-speaking segments of Facebook. Such reports say that the Russian military captured American Admiral Eric Olson at the Azovstal plant. A photo of prisoners of war is attached to the posts. According to users, one of the militaries depicted is Eric Olson. However, according to the fact-checkers of the Myth Detector project, the allegation that US General Eric Olson was taken prisoner at Azovstal is unsubstantiated, and the photo related to his alleged arrest was actually taken on April 14 in Luhansk; therefore, Olson, in the post which the photograph was added is not mentioned at all. According to fact-checkers, a widespread photo, allegedly taken at the Azovstal plant in Mariupol and showing captured US General Eric Olson, was actually published by the Kremlin-controlled Sputnik on April 14. The photo shows Ukrainian prisoners of war. Fact-checkers add that any official open-source does not confirm the information about the arrest of Eric Olson at Azovstal. The circulated photo was also checked by the Italian organization FACTA.

 This was the information disseminated by Russian propaganda media this morning. According to the Center for Countering Disinformation under the National Security and Defense Council, Rospropaganda further reported that under the white flag came out the negotiators who are negotiating the surrender of most of the Ukrainian military. "In fact, this "information noise" was only a justification for the possible removal of wounded Ukrainian soldiers trapped on the territory of the Azovstal Iron and Steel Works. Such information 'cover-up' is necessary for the Kremlin for two reasons: to destroy the image of the invincible defenders of Mariupol, who 'did surrender,' and to reassure Russians, who might have been outraged at such a concession by Putin to 'neo-Nazis,'" the Center said in a statement. Recall, the fake that Azov fighters came out with white flags, propagandists have already spread before - on May 8. At that time, Azov fighters explained that the white flag near the Azovstal plant was used to evacuate civilians, which by no means meant that the defenders were surrendering.  

Russian propaganda levels Ukraine's victory in the Eurovision song contest and points to the bias of Europe. The words "Please help Mariupol, help Azovstal, right now!" said by the soloist of the band Kalush Orchestra are considered by the Russians as a political slogan, which, according to the rules of the contest, leads to the disqualification of the participant. At the same time, the organizers of the contest noted that the uncoordinated statement was more of a humanitarian nature; this decision was also preceded by a similar statement by "UA: Public service broadcasting". Slogans in support of Ukraine were also voiced by other artists, in particular representatives of Georgia and Iceland.