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| - Fact Check: This old video DOES NOT show an Azov commander in Russian captivity
A viral video claims to show Azov commander in Russian captivity. However, the India Today Anti Fake News War room found the video to be old.
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India Today Fact Check
The viral video is from 2015 and does not show an Azov commander or soldier. It featured former Ukrainian commander Oleh Kuzminykh, popularly known as 'Cyborg', who along with other Ukrainian soldiers was captured by Russian forces and later released.
Amid the ongoing battle between Russia and Ukraine, a video of soldiers and other people heckling captured men has gone viral with the claim it showed the Ukrainian commander of the Azov battalion captured by Russian troops.
Several Facebook users shared the viral video that showed a group of men in captivity being
paraded inside a city. One of them spoke to the media and was later seen being beaten up. The videos were shared with captions like, “The Ukrainian commander of Azov, who allegedly killed many Russians, was captured by Russian troops”.
The India Today Anti Fake News War room (AFWA) found this video was old and did not show any Azov fighter. This was former Ukrainian commander Oleh Kuzminykh, popularly known as 'Cyborg', who along with other Ukrainian soldiers was captured by Russian forces. They were released later.
The viral posts are saved here and here.
AFWA probe
With the help of InVID and reverse image searches, we found the viral video on several Russian YouTube channels uploaded in 2015. The Russian title written on one of the YouTube uploads said, “Captured cyborgs (Donetsk, 22.01.15) part 5”.
Taking this as a clue, with the help of keywords-searches, we found a news clip that reported on the same incident and showed the same incident from different angles. This video was uploaded on the YouTube channel of Ukraine Today on May 23, 2015.
The title read, “‘Cyborg’ Released: Legendary Donetsk Airport defender freed from militant captivity”.
According to this video report, this was Ukrainian commander Oleh Kuzminykh, popularly known as 'Cyborg', who was released from Russian captivity. According to Ukraine Today, Kuzminykh was captured along with other Ukrainian soldiers by insurgent forces in January 2015.
“Several days after being detained, Russian media broadcast footage of the prisoners of war being beaten and verbally abused whilst being paraded through the city,” the report noted.
This incident was also reported by several news portals in 2015, which can be seen here and here.
Who was “Cyborg”?
Oleh Kuzminykh or Cyborg was a Ukrainian military commander who played a crucial role in defending the Donetsk Airport from pro-Russian militia and army.
In the viral video, he could be seen talking to the media and was later seen being beaten up by a mob. On May 23, 2015, the then-Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, personally shared the news of his release from Russian captivity on his Facebook page.
What is the Azov battalion?
The Azov battalion was a pro-Ukraine far-right autonomous militia group with a history of neo-Nazi leanings. Azov's military and political wings formally separated in 2016, when the far-right National Corps party was founded. The Azov battalion had by then been integrated into the Ukrainian National Guard.
Recently, as per media reports, Artyom Murakhovsky, one of the top Azov battalion leaders, was killed by Russian forces during the invasion.
But the seven-year-old viral video is clearly not related to the recent Russia-Ukraine battle.
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