In 2015, an absolutely horrific video began circulating, which purportedly depicted members of the Azov Battalion crucifying a Russian resident of eastern Ukraine, then setting the cross upon which he was literally and bloodily nailed on fire. Around the same time, another clip – titled “K*kes get the rope” – featuring a hanged pregnant woman and her husband, also proliferated online. It was claimed the pair were Jews who had been lynched by Azov fighters.

Multiple Ukrainian and Western government-funded factchecking websites, including the Neo-Nazi sympathizing StopFake, declared the footage to be fraudulent, and did so again in chorus when the gruesome visuals resurfaced widely following February 24.

The Azov Battalion has also repeatedly denied that their fighters were responsible for either heinous act, although their defense was not compelling. It was simply claimed that the Azov logo on the murderers’ uniforms was “much larger than it should be.”

The testimony of McLellan confirms those videos are very real. He in fact features in the crucifixion footage, and took photos of Tornado fighters posing with the corpses of the hanged couple.