Troopers of the twelfth Azov Particular Forces Brigade of the Nationwide Guard pose for a photograph subsequent to the M109 Paladin 155mm self-propelled gun on the entrance line, close to Kreminna, Luhansk area, Ukraine, January 28, 2024 . Picture credit score: AP
The USA has lifted a ban on offering American weapons and coaching to a controversial Ukrainian navy unit that was key to the protection of the key port metropolis of Mariupol, the State Division stated Tuesday.
The Azov Brigade is amongst Ukraine’s only and in style fight models, however has been marred by its origins as a volunteer battalion that attracted fighters from far-right circles and criticism for a few of its techniques. The USA had prohibited the regiment from utilizing American weapons, citing the neo-Nazi ideology of a few of its founders.
Present members of the Azov Brigade, which has been absorbed into the Ukrainian Nationwide Guard because the twelfth Particular Forces Brigade, reject accusations of extremism and any hyperlinks to far-right actions. However the Kremlin has seized on the regiment’s origins in its efforts to current the Russian invasion as a battle in opposition to Nazi affect in Ukraine.
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov stated Moscow had an “extraordinarily unfavourable” view of Washington’s determination. He described Azov as an “ultranationalist armed formation” and accused US authorities of being “prepared to flirt with neo-Nazis.”
US legislation prohibits offering tools and coaching to overseas navy models or people suspected of significant human rights violations. The State Division stated in an announcement that it discovered “no proof” of such violations.
“This can be a new web page within the historical past of our unit,” the Azov Brigade wrote in an announcement on Instagram. “Azov is changing into much more highly effective, extra skilled and extra harmful for the occupiers.”
“Procuring Western weapons and coaching from the USA is not going to solely enhance the fight functionality of Azov, however, most significantly, will contribute to the preservation of the lives and well being of personnel,” the assertion stated.
Till the State Division’s determination, Azov was prohibited from sending fighters to Western navy workout routines or accessing weapons bought with American funds. Lifting the ban will probably bolster the brigade’s fight functionality at a troublesome time in the course of the battle in opposition to the Russian invasion. Ukraine suffers from a persistent scarcity of ammunition and personnel.
Years earlier than Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Human Rights Watch expressed concern about Azov, writing that credible allegations of egregious abuses had been made in opposition to its fighters.
Moscow has repeatedly portrayed Azov as a Nazi group and accused it of atrocities, however has given little proof publicly. In 2022, Russia’s highest courtroom formally designated Azov as a terrorist group.
The brigade emerged from a gaggle referred to as the Azov Battalion, fashioned in 2014 as certainly one of many volunteer regiments created to battle Russian-backed separatists in jap Ukraine.
Since 2022, the brigade has tried to shift its public picture from controversy surrounding its ultranationalist origins to that of an efficient and expert combating drive.
Azov troopers performed a key function within the protection of Mariupol, withstanding a siege and low on ammunition for weeks on the southern port metropolis’s metal manufacturing unit regardless of devastating assaults by Russian forces.
In Ukraine they’re hailed as heroes, remembered for defending the sprawling plant that turned an emblem of Ukrainian tenacity within the battle in opposition to Russia, and folks take to the streets for weekly demonstrations calling for the discharge of lots of of prisoners of battle. of Azov who stay in Russia. captivity.
