US lifts ban on sending weapons to Ukraine’s controversial Azov brigade

Washington says ‘no evidence’ of abuses in unit, which was originally set up as a volunteer force in 2014.

The United States has lifted a ban on providing weapons and training to the Azov brigade, a controversial Ukrainian military unit that played a central role in the 2022 defence of the southeastern city of Mariupol.

The US State Department said in a statement on Tuesday that there had been a “thorough review” of the current Azov brigade and “no evidence” of human rights violations had been found.

Washington stressed the current unit was different from the volunteer militia that was set up in 2014, drawing fighters from far-right circles and criticism for some of its tactics. The US had banned the regiment from using its weapons, citing the neo-Nazi ideology of some of its founders.

“This is a new page in the history of our brigade,” Azov said of the US decision in a statement on social media. “Obtaining Western weapons and training from the United States will not only increase the combat ability of Azov, but most importantly, contribute to the preservation of the lives and the health of personnel.”

The Azov brigade, which was absorbed into Ukraine’s National Guard as the 12th Special Forces Brigade, is among the country’s most effective and popular fighting units and its current members reject accusations of extremism and any ties with far-right movements. Washington said that the original militia had been “disbanded in 2015” and a State Department spokesman also noted Azov’s “heroic role” in the 2022 battle for Mariupol.