The post is falsely claiming that the video shared is showing Ukrainian troops surrendering to Russian forces. The video-clipping is from prisoner swap between the Wagner Group and the Ukrainian Armed Forces from last May in Ukraine. At the time, the swap was confirmed by both countries, writes Thruthmeter.
Under the content-sharing agreement between Truthmeter.mk and Meta.mk, we republish the text below:
A viral post on the social network Facebook shares a video claiming that it shows hundreds of Ukrainian troops surrendering to Russia. This is not true. The video is showing something completely different.
Today, hundreds of Ukrainian troops, with white flags on their tanks and infantry vehicles, were massively surrendering to Russia. More and more troops are seeing with their own eyes that fighting is hopeless.
Video from the battle field showing the massive surrender.
Eftov, Limunada, Kleko, Rizvanovic, Timco, Zlatev on machines, states the post.
The published video shows at least twelve tanks with white flags on the road, and dozens of uniformed people moving in two separate directions towards the vehicles. This video-clipping is shared on social networks with inaccurate presentation.
Namely, according to the post, the video taken from a drone shows Ukrainian soldiers surrendering to Russia. However, this information is not true and tends to manipulate.
We cannot see surrendering soldiers on this video. It is not quite clear how this conclusion was derived, not to mention on the basis of what does one claim that the surrendering troops are Ukrainian.
The video shows two groups of uniformed men moving in separate directions. The tanks have white flags that, in general, designate a neutral zone. These two elements are a sign that a swap of prisoners is taking place.
By searching the Internet with the words “prisoner swap” and “Ukraine” in English language, one may find reports from several media outlets with headlines such as: “Ukraine Swaps Prisoners with Russian Paramiliatry Group Wagner” and “Ukraine, Russia swap prisoners near Bakhmut”.
The truth about this video is that it shows a swap of soldiers between the Ukrainian and Russian side. Last May (2023), Russia, led by the paramilitary group Wagner and Ukraine swapped prisoners close to the disputable city of Bakhmut. More than 100 Ukrainian soldiers were returned in the swap.
When the swap took place, several global media outlets published videos (here and here) to show the same contents as that of the posted video we are fact-checking. The video is not entirely identical – precisely, it is recorded from a different angle – but all the rest is the same. The scene can be identified – the military vehicles are in the same position, the same white flags are there and people moving in separate directions but on the same place of action.
The swap was conformed by both countries.
Every one of them is a hero of our state. Many of the ones we are returning from captivity were considered missing. The relatives of these people have gone through a difficult time, said senior official Andriy Yermak, Chief of Cabinet of Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
Tatyana Moskalkova, Russian Human Rights Ombudsman, confirmed that the Russian private military unit Wagner took part in the swap of fighters last Thursday, but gave no further details.
According to all of the listed facts, we conclude that the video is from a swap of prisoners between the Wagner Group and the Ukrainian Armed Forces from May in Ukraine, and not from some kind of a “surrender” of Ukrainian soldiers to Russian Forces.
