The Azov brigade are held in high regard across Ukraine. First for the 2014 recapturing of Mariupol, and again in 2022 when they gained country-wide recognition fighting for Mariupol's steelworks, Azovstal. With most of the troops still in captivity, however, Moscow sees them as bargaining chips against Kyiv -- and accuses the fighters of "neonazism". "They are our defenders," says Kristina Iniieu at a demonstration in the Ukrainian capital. "They have done a lot and are still doing a lot. It is a sin to forget about it." IMAGES AND SOUNDBITES