**Alternative** is a far-right group that is a relatively independent part of the Azov Movement. The group was founded and headed by **Mikhail Shalankevich** (aka Hans), an immigrant from Russia. Shalankevich was a member of **Restrukt**, one of Russia’s most prominent neo-Nazi organizations led by the star of the far-right movement in Russia, **Maxim Martsinkevich** (aka Tesak). Like many other members of Restrukt, including Tesak, he was found guilty of a series of armed assaults, as well as embezzlement of his victims’ property in 2018. Shalankevich was sentenced to six years in prison, but was released shortly after because he had already served his sentence.

In 2019, Shalankevich moved to Ukraine and joined the Azov Movement like many other Russian neo-Nazis. **Sergey Korotkikh** (aka Botsman) contributed much to the move, assembling a group of former comrades-in-arms around him. In Ukraine, Shalankevich founded an organization named Alternative, which mainly recruits young people. As a former professional fighter, he organizes training for members of the organization using the sports infrastructure of the National Corps.

The main goal of Alternative is proclaimed to be ‘the struggle for the health of the nation’. It consists mainly of evening city raids and conflicts with young people who drink alcohol on the streets. Shalankevich had been doing similar things back in Russia. The organization became known with a series of threatening videos followed by a series of attacks in the Podil district, the Kyiv’s main place of leisure for young people. Later, more similar videos emerged.

In 2021, a criminal case was opened against Shalankevich by Ukrainian law enforcement officers for the attack on two people. Members of the Alternative took an active part in actions for the deportation from Ukraine of the Belarusian anarchist Alexey Bolenkov as part of a broad coalition of far-right organizations (**C14**, the **National Corps**, **Tradition and Order**, the **Right Sector** etc.). During the action under court, the ultra-right attacked Alexey himself and his supporters. On the next day, a journalist of Bukvy online media was attacked. Shalankevich personally participated in the assaults.

Two skirmishes with anti-fascists did not end successfully for the Alternative. In both cases, Shalankevich chose to flee, which severely damaged his personal reputation and the reputation of the organization, including among the far-rightists themselves. At the moment, the Alternative telegram channel is not supported.