In early June 2025, a video circulated on-line claiming to indicate Ukrainian troopers capturing deserters close to the Ukrainian metropolis of Pokrovsk.
The footage circulated amid reviews of ongoing preventing close to the town, an important transport hub within the Donetsk area.
A posting (archived) of the video by the right-wing media persona Alex Jones had greater than 4.6 million views on the time of this writing.
(X person @RealAlexJones)
Jones wrote:
NATO backed, Ukrainian army caught by a Russian drones digicam executing deserters.
The Ukrainian troopers shot their very own deserters within the Pokrovsk sector
As Ukraine slowly reaches the final stage earlier than a collapse of fight capabilities.
Unique footage from Russian scouts, who noticed the AFU on the Shevchenko-Pokrovsk line whereas conducting aerial reconnaissance.
Two Ukrainian “fighters” pressured three fellow troopers to their knees and shot them.
The video exhibits that one of many unlucky ones, listening to the primary photographs, rushed from the spot, however he didn’t handle to run far.
Items of the 68th Jaeger Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces had been stationed on this space.
The video primarily circulated throughout (archived) X (archived) and on (archived) Fb (archived).
Nevertheless, Snopes’ investigation couldn’t affirm precisely what the video, which was purportedly recorded close to Pokrovsk, confirmed, nor the time or actual location it was recorded.
A spokesperson for the Basic Directorate of Public Communications of the Armed Forces of Ukraine mentioned by way of e-mail that they might not confirm the video in query however that it bore “all of the hallmarks of falsification and manipulation of knowledge.”
They added: “We emphasize that the Armed Forces of Ukraine, specifically the models performing fight missions within the Pokrovsk space, act completely throughout the framework of worldwide humanitarian regulation, the Geneva Conventions, and different norms governing the conduct of warfare.”
Ukraine’s legal code punishes army deserters with as much as 12 years in jail during times of martial regulation. The code doesn’t embody capital punishment for desertion.
We reached out to the Russian army to ask if they might affirm that the video was genuine, when it was recorded, the place, and what it confirmed, and await replies to our queries.
What we all know in regards to the footage
One early model (archived) of the footage circulated on June 4, 2025. The Telegram channel that shared the early model of the footage was referred to as “Work, brothers,” a phrase used to indicate help for Russian regulation enforcement.
Searches on the Telegram channel of the Russian Ministry of Protection situated a video (archived) posted on April 16, 2025, with related graphics to the one shared round June 4. Each movies gave the impression to be recorded utilizing thermal cameras (indicated by the lighter shade of individuals within the video in comparison with the panorama) and featured an identical rotating compass wheel on the backside of the video.
The Russian MOD mentioned on Telegram that the April 16 video confirmed drone operators destroying “ammunition and gasoline depots, tools and personnel” in Luhansk and Donetsk, together with close to Pokrovsk. In accordance with the Basic Workers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Russian strikes hit close to Pokrovsk on this date. Claims additionally mentioned the June 4 video was recorded by drone.
In accordance with on-line AI detectors Sightengine and Hive Moderation, it was unlikely the video was generated by AI.
(Sightengine/Hive Moderation/Snopes Illustration)
The 68th Brigade of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, talked about within the footage caption, posted footage on its Fb (archived) web page (archived) which they mentioned was recorded close to Pokrovsk across the time the video circulated. The Basic Workers of the Ukrainian Armed Forces (archived) (archived) (archived) confirmed preventing within the space round June 4-5.
Desertion has been an ongoing downside for the Ukrainian Armed Forces since Russia’s invasion in 2022. The Related Press reported in November 2024 that greater than 100,000 troopers had been charged below Ukraine’s desertion legal guidelines since February 2022.
Sources:
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—. “Operational Data as of twenty-two:00 16.04.2025 Concerning the Russian Invasion.” Fb, 16 Apr. 2025, https://www.fb.com/GeneralStaff.ua/posts/pfbid033ij68YZS8h5CLAfWCCX9UEWfM3rbjsBwmRUUE4NxAYCbtFg9qfEbzGU9Ur5TgUfLl.
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KULLAB, SAMYA, and VOLODYMYR YURCHUK. “Desertion Threatens to Starve Ukraine’s Forces at a Essential Time in Its Struggle with Russia.” AP Information, 29 Nov. 2024, https://apnews.com/article/deserters-awol-ukraine-russia-war-def676562552d42bc5d593363c9e5ea0.
@mod_russia. “🎮 Операторы БпЛА Методично Уничтожают Полевые Склады с Боеприпасами и Топливом, Технику и Личный Состав ВСУ На Краснолиманском и Покровском Направлениях.” Telegram, 16 Apr. 2025, https://t.me/mod_russia/51348.
“Ukraine’s Deserters Returning to the Entrance – DW – 04/18/2025.” Dw.Com, https://www.dw.com/en/ukraines-deserters-returning-to-the-front/a-72276298. Accessed 6 June 2025.
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