Servicemen of the Azov Regiment and Ukrainian National Guard march through the city of Mariupol as they take part in a parade to mark the fifth anniversary of city's liberation from Russian-backed rebels on June 15, 2019.  | AFP-JIJI

Azov Regiment takes center stage in Ukraine propaganda war

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Paris– Some call them war heroes, others neo-Nazis: Ukraines Azov Regiment is at the heart of the propaganda war between Kyiv and Moscow, as Russia declares to seek the “denazification” of Ukraine.The Azov Special Operations Detachment, previously known as the “Azov Battalion” but now called the “Azov Regiment,” is frequently targeted in pro-Russian social media posts, consisting of by Russian embassies in Paris, London and elsewhere.The regiment is presently entrenched in the southern port city of Mariupol that has been the scene of some of the wars heaviest fighting.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov utilized their presence to justify the battle of a maternity ward there, stating the Azov program “and other radicals” were concealing in the building.The routine, developed in 2014 by reactionary activists, was first released against pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.It has actually since been integrated into the National Guard, under interior ministry command.Its creators consisted of Andriy Biletsky, a former member of the Patriot of Ukraine paramilitary organization.As initially mainly volunteers, the battalions members used insignia, such as the so-called Wolfsangel (wolfs hook), that were reminiscent of signs utilized by SS systems in Nazi Germany.” In 2014 this battalion had certainly a far-right background, these were far-right racists that established the battalion,” said Andreas Umland at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies.But it had actually because become “de-ideologized” and a regular combating unit, he said.Its employees now sign up with not because of ideology however because “it has the reputation of being an especially difficult fighting system,” Umland said.The Azov battalion, called after the Sea of Azov to Ukraines south, ended up being popular for winning back Mariupol from Russian-backed separatists in 2014.” The Azov now operate like other routines “but with much better PR,” stated Vyacheslav Likhachev, a research analyst at the ZMINA Center for Human Rights in Kyiv.Their outstanding track record brings in plenty of possible employees, “so they can choose the much better ones,” he said.The system, numbering 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers, has kept the exact same wolf-hook insignia, but Umland said in Ukraine there was little confusion about its links to the past.

Paris– Some call them war heroes, others neo-Nazis: Ukraines Azov Regiment is at the heart of the propaganda war in between Kyiv and Moscow, as Russia claims to look for the “denazification” of Ukraine.The Azov Special Operations Detachment, previously known as the “Azov Battalion” however now called the “Azov Regiment,” is frequently targeted in pro-Russian social media posts, including by Russian embassies in Paris, London and elsewhere.The routine is presently entrenched in the southern port city of Mariupol that has actually been the scene of some of the wars heaviest fighting.Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov utilized their existence to validate the battle of a maternity ward there, stating the Azov regiment “and other radicals” were concealing in the building.The routine, created in 2014 by far-right activists, was first released versus pro-Russian separatists in eastern Ukraine.It has because been integrated into the National Guard, under interior ministry command.Its founders included Andriy Biletsky, a previous member of the Patriot of Ukraine paramilitary organization.As initially primarily volunteers, the battalions members used insignia, such as the so-called Wolfsangel (wolfs hook), that were reminiscent of signs used by SS systems in Nazi Germany.” In 2014 this battalion had indeed a reactionary background, these were far-right racists that founded the battalion,” stated Andreas Umland at the Stockholm Center for Eastern European Studies.But it had given that become “de-ideologized” and a regular fighting system, he said.Its employees now sign up with not due to the fact that of ideology however since “it has the credibility of being a particularly hard combating system,” Umland said.The Azov battalion, called after the Sea of Azov to Ukraines south, ended up being well-known for winning back Mariupol from Russian-backed separatists in 2014.” The Azov now operate like other regiments “but with much better PR,” said Vyacheslav Likhachev, a research analyst at the ZMINA Center for Human Rights in Kyiv.Their stellar credibility brings in plenty of potential employees, “so they can pick the much better ones,” he said.The system, numbering 2,000 to 3,000 soldiers, has actually kept the exact same wolf-hook insignia, but Umland stated in Ukraine there was little confusion about its links to the past.

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