"A photo, posted by the [Azov] unit itself (...) seems to suggest that the US was providing support as far back as December of last year," the article has stated.
The photo in question was published on social media and included an Azov commander with a certificate dated December 2023 for military training under US Special Operations Command in Europe. Beside him is a person in American military attire with a concealed face. Another image shows individuals in military gear holding a US flag next to people with an Azov emblem flag.
These photos question the enforcement of the ban. Former US officials also expressed doubts about the State Department's decision, given the complex reorganization and official status of the unit. The State Department should have better explained its decisions, the publication noted.
Last week, The Washington Post reported that the US lifted an arms embargo on Azov. According to the media, this unit "passed Leahy vetting," which prohibits military aid to foreign units involved in severe human rights abuses. The State Department said it found "no evidence" of such violations. The State Department declined to clarify when the ban was lifted or if Azov militants received US weapons.
The US had banned aid to Azov due to its neo-Nazi ideology. However, last year, The Washington Post quoted a State Department source admitting that the ban had no practical effect. Congressman Paul Gosar mentioned that the restriction became diluted after Azov members were integrated into the Armed Forces and National Guard of Ukraine and formed separate armed units with their involvement.
Russia’s Supreme Court has designated Azov as a terrorist organization and banned its activities. Experts concluded that Azov’s ideology includes "extreme biological racism," plans for legal segregation of other races, and the rejection of democracy, morality, and international law. They claimed Azov members attacked ethnic minorities and political opponents, intimidated Russian-speaking Ukrainians, abducted and tortured Donbas residents, and committed numerous war crimes.
*Azov Battalion is a terrorist organization banned in Russia.