Illustration: Truthmeter.mk
This article was first published by Truthmeter.mk (North Macedonia), within the framework of Western Balkans Anti-Disinformation Project.
There is no credible evidence that, on October 20, 2025, exactly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered to Russia, as stated in the post of that date, which is the subject of our review
We analyze a post on the social network Facebook which says:
Today 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered to Russian forces. We’ll see when NATO surrenders, I think it will be soon.
Contrary to what is stated in the post, NATO is not at war with Russia and therefore cannot “surrender.” Regarding the claim that “today 10 thousand Ukrainian soldiers surrendered to Russian forces,” Truthmeter.mk found the same claim elsewhere on Facebook, at the following link, where no source is cited.
However, as part of the October 19, 2025 claim, a photo of the alleged “surrender” was shared. When we searched for the photo with the reverse search tool, we found it published in 2023 in a Voice of America article. The photo is from Reuters and is described as an exchange of Ukrainian prisoners during a Russian attack on Ukraine at an unknown location (screenshot from a video published on April 16, 2023).
There is no credible evidence that on October 20, 2025, exactly 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers surrendered to Russia as stated in the post of that date, which is the subject of our review.
There are reports that a Russian soldier attempted to surrender to Ukrainian forces on October 20, 2025, but was killed by a Russian drone before he could succeed.
Several media outlets warn that if Ukraine gives up parts of the Donbass region, it would be dangerous because it would allow Russia to take advantage of the fortifications it has built–but these are strategic analyses, not reports of troop surrenders.
In 2025, there was a prisoner exchange between Russia and Ukraine (for example, 1,000 Russians for 1,000 Ukrainian soldiers), but it was an exchange, not a mass surrender of soldiers.
A surrender of that magnitude (10,000 soldiers) would have been widely reported in Western intelligence reports, Ukrainian or Russian military statements, and in all major media outlets—but such a thing does not exist. The only confirmed case of a “surrender” around that date involves a Russian, not a Ukrainian, soldier. The context of the war during that period shows grueling fighting, prisoner exchanges, and tactical movements, but not a mass surrender of Ukrainian forces in such numbers and in a single event.
NATO’s actions are defensive, designed not to provoke conflict but to prevent conflict. The Alliance has a responsibility to ensure that this war does not escalate and spread beyond Ukraine, which would be even more devastating and dangerous. Enforcing a no-fly zone or deploying combat troops to Ukraine would bring NATO forces into direct conflict with Russia. This would significantly escalate the war and lead to more human suffering and destruction for all countries involved, NATO’s website states.
NATO has not deployed combat troops to Ukraine. Sending NATO combat troops to Ukraine would mean a direct military confrontation between NATO and Russia, which the alliance is trying to avoid.
Many NATO member states are involved in training, advisory missions, and logistical and strategic support for Ukraine. However, the deployment of NATO combat troops to Ukraine has not been publicly confirmed and has been officially denied.
NATO is not at war with Russia and is not party to the war Russia is waging on Ukraine. NATO supports Ukraine in its right to self-defense, as enshrined in the UN Charter. We do not seek confrontation with Russia. In response to Russia’s aggressive actions, we continue to strengthen our deterrence and defense to make sure there is no room for misunderstanding that NATO is ready to protect and defend every Ally, NATO’s website states.
Due to all the above facts, we assess the post we are reviewing as untrue.
