Azov fighters

Azov holds Dobropillia as Russia presses toward Ukraine’s key fortress belt

A soldier from Ukraine’s 12th Azov Brigade, which is defending the Dobropillia sector, told NV how his troops are stopping Russian “flag-bearers” and what he expects Russian forces to do this winter.

28 October, 01:32 PM

Ukraine expects Mariupol defenders and Azov troops in next exchange

Ukraine expects Mariupol defenders and members of the National Guard’s 1st Azov Corps to be included in a future prisoner exchange with Russia, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence chief Oleh Ivashchenko said after the Aug. 19 exchange.

19 August, 04:45 PM

Kyiv cancels Olenivka memorial event over security concerns

Ukraine observed a day of remembrance on July 28 for Ukrainian soldiers who died in Russian captivity following the Olenivka prison attack, but a memorial event planned for Kyiv's Independence Square was canceled over security concerns, according to the 1st Azov Corps of Ukraine's National Guard and the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, citing the ongoing threat of mass Russian airstrikes.

28 July, 01:20 PM

Ukraine brings home 160 troops held by Russia since 2022

Ukraine and Russia carried out a new round of prisoner exchanges on June 26, bringing home 160 Ukrainian service members who had been held in captivity since 2022, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on social media.

26 June, 03:55 PM

20 Azov fighters freed in first phase of 1,000-for-1,000 POW swap

20 Azov Corps fighters, including 19 defenders of Mariupol, returned from Russian captivity on May 15 as part of the first phase of a 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange, Commander of the 1st Azov Corps of the National Guard of Ukraine Denys Prokopenko reported on Facebook.

15 May, 05:00 PM

Russia illegally sentences three more Azov prisoners of war

Russia’s Southern District Military Court in Rostov-on-Don sentenced three Ukrainians who were taken prisoner during the siege of the Azovstal plant in Mariupol, news outlet Mediazona reported on March 27.

29 March, 08:45 PM

Russia fines captive Azov fighter for truth about invasion in Ukraine

Russian district court in Ulan-Ude has fined 38-year-old Ukrainian POW Anton Saikhiev 30,000 rubles (approx. $330) for "discrediting" the Russian military after he stated that Russia invaded Ukraine.

3 March, 11:45 AM

Azov-led units batter Russian forces, restore control around Dobropillia

Ukraine’s Defense Forces continue stabilization actions and restore control over the settlements on the Dobropillia axis, the General Staff reported on Aug. 20.

21 August 2025, 09:53 AM

Soldier rejoins fight despite losing leg to mine explosion

Ruslan, a Ukrainian defender with the call sign Akella, returned to military service despite losing a limb and undergoing extensive rehabilitation, he told public broadcaster Suspilne on June 29.

1 July 2025, 04:10 PM

Azov medic Spok aids Kyiv rescue after deadly Russian missile strike

Azov medic Mykhailo “Spok” Lavrovskyi rushed to the Solomyanskyi district high-rise in Kyiv on June 17 after a Russian attack, clearing rubble and providing first aid, while calling Russia a “rotten state,” Azov’s representative said in a video on Instagram.

18 June 2025, 04:13 PM

No Azov fighters freed in 1,000-for-1,000 swap, says Denys Prokopenko

Azov National Guard commander Denys Prokopenko called the absence of Azov soldiers in the recent 1,000-for-1,000 prisoner exchange with Russia a "shame," expressing outrage on May 25.

25 May 2025, 09:53 PM

Azov captures elite Russian scouts, revealing heavy losses

Ukrainian defenders captured five elite Russian reconnaissance troops near Toretsk, the Azov 12th Special Operations Brigade reported, releasing interrogation footage.

16 December 2024, 12:26 PM

Ukrainian MP Mustafa Dzhemilev to give Erdogan list of seriously wounded Azov prisoners

Mustafa Dzhemilev, leader of the Crimean Tatar people and Ukrainian MP, met with Azov NSU soldier Gennady Kharchenko, recently freed from Russian captivity, and received a list of severely wounded POWs, the Mejlis press service reported on Nov. 15.

15 November 2024, 06:27 PM

SBU reveals exclusive video of Ukraine's prisoner exchange with Russia

Ukraine's Security Service released exclusive footage of a prisoner exchange that freed 95 Ukrainians, including 58 prisoners of war on Oct. 19.

19 October 2024, 11:35 AM

Ukraine frees over 30 Azov soldiers in exchange, but hundreds still held by Russia

Over two days, on Sep. 13 and 14, more than 30 soldiers from the Azov Regiment were returned to Ukraine from Russian captivity, but nearly 700 Azov fighters remain imprisoned in Russia.This update was shared by Olena Tolkachova, head of the Azov Regiment’s patronage service, during a televised interview on Sep. 15

15 September 2024, 09:35 PM

After over two years in captivity: 23 Azov soldiers return from Russia

Ukraine successfully brought back 23 Azov soldiers from Russian captivity as part of a new prisoner exchange on Sept. 14, according to Olena Tolkachova, head of the Azov Brigade’s patronage service.

14 September 2024, 06:03 PM

Ukraine brings 103 soldiers home in latest prisoner exchange with Russia

Ukraine and Russia carried out a new prisoner exchange, bringing 103 Ukrainians back home on on Saturday, Sep. 14. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy confirmed the exchange, stating that 82 soldiers and sergeants, along with 21 officers, had been freed.

14 September 2024, 03:15 PM

Russia advances in Krasnohorivka and two other settlements in Donetsk Oblast

The Russian occupiers made advances in Krasnohorivka, as well as near Novohrodivka and Vuhledar in Donetsk Oblast, DeepState monitoring group reported on Sept. 10.

10 September 2024, 10:57 AM

Ukrainian forces raise blue and yellow flag in New York, Donetsk Oblast – DeepState

Ukrainian troops have raised the blue and yellow flag atop a grain elevator in the center of the village of New York, Donetsk Oblast. The footage was published by the DeepState portal on Sept. 7.

7 September 2024, 09:38 PM

Captured Russian soldiers in Kursk plead with Putin for prisoner swap

Russian conscripts captured in Kursk Oblast are pleading with Vladimir Putin for help, according to a video shared on X on Aug. 13.

13 August 2024, 03:03 PM

Azov fighters