Official statements from the US Department of Defense or reliable news sources

U.S. Lifts Ban on Aid to Ukraine's Neo-Nazi Tied Azov Brigade Amid Training Allegations

Jun 23, 2024, 01:30 PM

The U.S. government has announced that the Azov Brigade, a Ukrainian military unit with neo-Nazi ties, can now receive military aid. This decision comes despite allegations that U.S. special forces were already training the Azov Brigade months before the official lifting of the ban on military assistance. Photos circulating online show American instructors training the unit as early as March. The Azov Brigade, previously known as the Azov Battalion, has been a controversial entity due to its far-right affiliations. The U.S. administration claims that the Azov Brigade is separate from the old Nazi-linked Azov Battalion, but the unit itself asserts they are the same. The State Department had previously enforced a ban on arms and training for the Azov units.