Majority of the global media has gone insane with the rogue competition of demonizing Russian President Vladimir Putin for his actions against neo-Nazis in Ukraine. Most of them are making frantic bids in proving Putin wrong. But in reality, Kremlin truly is taking actions against neo-Nazis with the goal of de-nazifying the country. One of Ukrainian president Volodymyr Oleksandrovych Zelenskyy or Volodymyr Zelenskyy’s allies is notorious neo-Nazi group named Azov Battalion, which also is known as Azov Special Operations Detachment, Azob Detachment, Azov Regiment or simply Azov.
Azov is a right-wing extremist, neo-Nazi, formerly paramilitary unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, based in Mariupol, in the Azov Sea coastal region. Azov initially formed as a volunteer militia in May 2014, and has since been fighting freedom fighters in Donbass Republic. On 12 November 2014, Azov was incorporated into the National Guard of Ukraine, and since then all members have been official soldiers serving in the National Guard.
In 2015 and 2016, the regiment gained attention after allegations of torture and war crimes, as well as neo-Nazi sympathies, and usage of associated symbols by the regiment, as seen in their logo featuring the Wolfsangel, one of the Nazi symbols used by the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich.
In March 2015, a spokesman for the regiment said around 10–20 percent of the unit were neo-Nazis. A provision in Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2018, passed by the United States Congress, blocked military aid to Azov on the grounds of its white supremacist ideology; in 2015, a similar ban on aid to the group had been overturned by Congress.
Members of the neo-Nazi group come from 22 countries and are of various backgrounds. In 2017, the size of the regiment was estimated at more than 2,500 members, but by 2022, it has been estimated to be 900 members.
In 2016, veterans of the regiment and members of a non-governmental organization called the Azov Civil Corps created the political party National Corps. The unit’s first commander was far-right nationalist Andriy Biletsky, who led the neo-Nazi organizations Social-National Assembly and Patriot of Ukraine. In its early days, Azov was a special police company of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, led by Volodymyr Shpara, the leader of the Vasylkiv, Kiev, branch of Patriot of Ukraine and Right Sector.
In January 2015, Azov Battalion was officially upgraded to a regiment and its structures took a definite shape. A mobilization center and a training facility was established in Kiev, in former industrial complex “ATEK” for selection and examination; and the personnel, composed by volunteers from all over Ukraine, has to pass through a screening and vetting process, quite similar to army’s mobilization procedures.
Recruits are then assigned to the combat units of the regiments, or to support and supply units, where they undertake intensive combat drills training. Reconnaissance and Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) units are considered the élite of Azov and are manned by most experienced personnel (typically, former Ukrainian Army special forces or similar).
Since 2015, the Battalion has been upgraded to regimental status and “Azov” is now officially called “Special Operations Detachment”, with combat duties focused on reconnaissance, counter-reconnaissance, EOD, interdiction and special weapons operations. The regiment is the only territorial defense unit of its size in the NGU.
Meaning, Ukrainian authorities and President Volodymyr Zelenskyy definitely are patrons of neo-Nazis. They have been helping these notorious people in gaining power and gradually emerge as the dominant military and political force in Ukraine. In other words, these neo-Nazis are no less dangerous than the Taliban or Al Qaeda and Islamic State. With these proven fact, when Russian President Vladimir Putin says his operations in Ukraine is to de-nazify the country or liberate Ukraine from the evil grips of neo-Nazis, he is certainly not lying.
