The US lifts weapons ban on Ukraine’s Azov Brigade.
The US has overturned a weapons embargo on Ukraine‘s Azov Brigade following a review finding no rights violations by the unit. Originally formed as a volunteer militia in 2014, Azov played a key role in defending the port city of Mariupol against Russia this year. Washington had barred arms to the outfit over concerns of neo-Nazi links then.
The State Department says Azov’s current iteration, absorbed into the National Guard in 2015, differs. “No evidence” of extremism or abuse has emerged, it noted while praising the brigade’s “heroic Mariupol defense.”
This is likely to boost Azov’s battlefield strength amid Ukraine’s shortages. But Moscow alleged the US was embracing neo-Nazis to counter Russia, though providing little proof for claims against Azov.
Azov emerged from volunteer regiments battling Russia-backed rebels in eastern Ukraine amid early warnings by rights groups. It has since attempted to change this controversial image.
Hundreds of Azov fighters captured at Mariupol remain prisoners as Russia portrays them as Nazis, rejected by Kyiv and Western allies. The embargo lifting shows the US will back Ukraine fully against Moscow’s military action.
