The controversial image appears to have been generated using artificial intelligence and was approved by the city administration before painting began.
Ironically, according to Ukraine’s Main Intelligence Directorate (HUR), the same stock photo from Depositphotos has been used in their own recruitment materials.
Here is a more detailed source.
https://united24media.com/latest-news/russia-accidentally-spends-20k-painting-ukrainian-azov-soldier-on-victory-day-mural-8379
From what I can see, this source also doesn’t say it’s AI.
From a different article:
https://euromaidanpress.com/2025/05/14/russians-paint-propaganda-mural-with-ai-image-used-by-ukraine-military-intelligence/