Krotevych revealed what message Putin conveyed to the surrounded Azov fighters in Mariupol.

Former chief of staff of the 12th special purpose brigade 'Azov', Lieutenant Colonel Bohdan Krotevych, spoke about how they left 'Azovstal'. He reported this in his interview for the project 'Bomber'. Krotevych mentioned that he even received a message from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

General Volodymyr Alekseev, a Ukrainian by nationality, participated in the negotiations regarding the withdrawal of Ukrainian units from Mariupol. The commander of 'Azov' was represented by Denys Prokopenko.

'He (Alekseev) conveyed words from Putin, to be precise, he said from 'the first'. He talked about respect, about how our unit would not be 'disgraced', meaning we would not be humiliated in captivity,' Krotevych explained.

The soldiers of 'Azov' understood that if they surrendered, they would no longer be able to dictate the terms. However, they agreed to the conditions of the Russians because there were wounded in their team who were slowly dying.

Krotevych previously stated that he is against a ceasefire and believes that Ukraine can still win this war.

Bohdan Krotevych joined the 'Azov' brigade in 2014 and rose through the ranks from a soldier to a platoon commander. He participated in significant combat operations during ATO/JFO and developed the unit.

In 2021, Krotevych led the 'Azov' staff and participated in the defense of Mariupol during the Russian aggression. He also coordinated the brigade's military actions during the counteroffensive in the Zaporizhzhia direction in 2023.

After returning from captivity, Krotevych continued to oversee the actions of 'Azov' in the Kreminna and Toretsk directions.