HERE IS A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN MYTHS ABOUT AZOV AND A DETAILED RATIONALE THAT DEBUNKS THEM.
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Azov delegation with representatives of both parties of Congress. Washington, DC, Congressional building, September, 2022
Kateryna Prokopenko, President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders and wife of the Azov Brigade commander, Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Yulia Fedosiuk, Deputy President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Brigade fighter, and American journalist Jennifer Griffin. Fox News studio, June, 2023
Paul Massaro, Senior Political Advisor at the Helsinki Commission, with the Azov flag. 2023
Kateryna Prokopenko, President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders and wife of the Azov Brigade commander, Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Yulia Fedosiuk, Deputy President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, and Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, a fighter of the Azov Brigade, during their business trip to the US Congress. Washington, DC, June 2023
Political philosopher and professor Francis Fukuyama, President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders and wife of the Azov Brigade commander, Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Kateryna Prokopenko, Deputy President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders Yulia Fedosiuk, and Azov Brigade fighter Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk during a joint speech at Stanford University. June, 2023
Azov delegation with Stanford University students during a speech on campus. June, 2023
Ilia "Gandalf" Samoilenko after his speech at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York, USA, February 2023
Commemoration, one year after the terrorist attack against Azov prisoners in Olenivka. Chicago, 2023
A rally in support of the Azov POWs. Kyiv, 2024
Arsenii Fedosiuk visiting a rally in support of the Azov Brigade, New York, 2023
Azov Brigade officers Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk and Ilya “Gandalf” Samoilenko. EstMil. tech conference, Tallinn, January 25, 2024
Ostap Shved at a special OSCE event dedicated to the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity. February, 2024
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Andrii "Spider" Ihnatiuk at a CIMIC (J9) training course on civil-military cooperation. 2023
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora and Azov veteran Ruslan “David” Serbov at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Speech by Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk during the event “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity”. Next to him are former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Member of the British Parliament Jack Lopresti and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders: Kateryna Prokopenko, Yuliia Fedosiuk and Yevhenia Synelnyk, at the “Mariupol Defenders - 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Member of the House of Lords, Lord Michael Ashcroft and Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk at the "Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity" event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Former UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace, Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora, and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders Kateryna Prokopenko and Yevhenia Synelnyk at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora and Azov veteran Ruslan “David” Serbov during a speech at a roundtable in the British Parliament on advocating for the release of Azov POWs. London, May 2024.
Victoria Prentice MP, Attorney General of England and Wales, and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders Kateryna Prokopenko, Yuliia Fedosiuk and Yevhenia Synelnyk during a roundtable discussion in the UK Parliament on advocating for the release of Azov POWs. London, May 2024.
Azov servicemen and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders during a roundtable discussion in the UK Parliament on advocating for the release of Azov POWs. London, May 2024.
Professor, Lord Lionel Tarassenko CBE, the founding President of Reuben College, Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk and Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora during a meeting with faculty and students of Reuben College at the University of Oxford. Oxford, May, 2024.
Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk and Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora during a meeting with faculty and students of King's College London. May, 2024.
Kateryna Prokopenko, wife of Azov commander Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, and Yuliia Fedosiuk, wife of Azov fighter Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk, deputy head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, at a meeting with Pope Francis. Vatican City, May 11, 2022
Relatives of the Azov fighters who were illegally convicted by the Russians: Tatiana, Tamara, Alla and Violetta at a meeting with Pope Francis. Vatican City, June 26, 2024
Former British Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Liz Truss and Azov lieutenant Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk, a veteran of the unit Ruslan "David" Serbov, Azov junior sergeant Volodymyr "Zelandia" Vernyhora, representatives of the Association Kateryna Prokopenko, Yuliia Fedosiuk and Yevhenia Synelnyk. London. May, 2024.
Azov commander Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko and French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy at the Azov training base. July, 2024.
Mykola "Alfy" Hradnov-Savytskyi, a senior soldier of the Azov Brigade, and the team behind the documentary Songs of a Slowly Burning Land at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. September, 2024
Mykola "Alfy" Gradnov-Savitsky, a senior soldier of the Azov Brigade, on the red carpet of the 81st Venice International Film Festival. September, 2024
Azov delegation at the NATO headquarters. Brussels, October, 2024.
Azov delegation at the European Parliament. Brussels, October, 2024.
Doug Stanhope with his colleagues and artillerymen of the Azov Brigade, Donetsk region, October 2024.
Head of the International Communications Department of Azov Yuliia Fedosiuk and Azov Sergeant Valentyn Dziubenko speaking at the panel discussion at the Riga Conference. October, 2024.
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Former U.S. Army Europe Commander Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben Hodges with Yuliia Fedosiuk, Head of the International Communications Department of Azov, and Volodymyr Vernyhora, Azov Junior Sergeant. Riga, October, 2024.
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Yuliia Fedosiuk, Head of the International Communications Department of Azov, and Valentyn Dziubenko, Azov Sergeant, at the Riga Conference. October, 2024.
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MYTH 7: AZOV IS RECOGNIZED AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN THE WESTERN WORLD
Azov is not listed as a terrorist organization in the United States. Azov is a legitimate part of the Ukrainian army and is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Commentary of the commander of the Azov Brigade, Colonel Denys Prokopenko, for CNN on the situation in Mariupol. March 21, 2022
Delegations comprising Azov representatives have made two business visits to the US in 2022 and 2023. Azov members Georgiy Kuparashvili, Vladyslav Zhaivoronok and Arsenii Fedosiuk met with representatives of Congress and Senate of both parties, major international human rights organizations, think tanks, US military veterans and journalists.
Michael McFaul, a professor at Stanford University and former US Ambassador to Russia, participated in a meeting of Azov soldiers, defenders of Mariupol, with university students in October 2022.
In addition, the Azov representatives spoke at Stanford University with the renowned American philosopher Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama subsequently has publicly supported Azov in his tweets.
Yuliia Fedosiuk, Giorgi Kuparashvili, Artur Lypka, Vladyslav Zhaivoronok spoke on Stanford campus September 30th, 2022
Arseniy and Yuliia Fedosiuk, Kateryna Prokopenko spoke on Stanford campus June 29th, 2023
John Spencer, a renowned American military expert and Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, actively supports the Azov Brigade on his social media platforms and has recorded a series of podcasts with the brigade's fighters.
In 2023, Azov officer Ilia Samoilenko spoke at a UN meeting in New York, as well as at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Officer Serhiy Tsisaruk spoke at a meeting of the Council of Europe.
In 2022, the American Meta Platforms removed Azov from the lists of blocked organizations. This was announced by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov after a meeting with the company's President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and Vice President for Content Policy Monica Bickert. Azov now has verified accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
Rallies in support of Azov's prisoners of war, as well as rallies dedicated to the victims of the terrorist attack in Olenivka, gather a large number of participants in many US cities, including not only representatives of the Ukrainian community, but also Americans with no connection to Ukraine, who often have different political views.
Moreover, there are American citizens serving in the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine. One of them — the U.S. Army Marine Corps veteran and current staff sergeant of one of the Azov companies, call sign "Frodo” fights side by side with Ukrainians against the Russian invaders and publicly speaks out about his motivation to join the unit and fight Russian aggression far from his home, as well as debunks common myths about Azov constructed by Kremlin propaganda.
In January 2024, Azov Brigade officers Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk and Ilya "Gandalf" Samoilenko took part in the EstMil. tech 2024 military conference in Tallinn, Estonia. They made a presentation on "Network-centric warfare" at one of the conference panels moderated by Brigadier General Vahur Karus of the Estonian Army. Azov commander, Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, recorded a video address to the conference participants, in which he spoke about Azov's experience in fighting against the Russian army and the use of modern technologies on the battlefield.
Video message from Azov Commander, Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, to the participants of the EstMil. tech 2024 conference
Ostap Shved, an Azov combat medic who has been serving in the unit since 2014, defended Mariupol in 2022 and went through captivity, in February 2024 delivered a speech at a special OSCE event dedicated to the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity. Ostap was in the barracks at the Olenivka colony, where in July 2022 Russians committed a terrorist attack that killed more than 50 Azov soldiers and injured more than 130 others. In his speech, he shared how he received shrapnel wounds as a result of an explosion in the barracks, but kept providing medical care to his brothers in arms who were dying of blood loss. He testified that the colony's wardens did not provide assistance to the wounded for six hours. Instead of medical care, Ostap was transferred to Taganrog, Russia, where he was tortured for seven months and forced to confess to the murder of a civilian in Mariupol. He saw two other brothers in arms die as a result of torture. During his speech at the OSCE, the audience was in tears.
In the fall of 2023, Andrii "Spider" Ihnatiuk, Head of the Humanitarian Support of the Personnel Section of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine, took part in the CIMIC (J9) training course on civil-military cooperation conducted by Special Operations Command Europe (USA) with the support of instructors from European countries.
In May 2024 a delegation of servicemen from the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine and representatives of the Association of Families of the Defenders of Azovstal took part in a roundtable discussion in the UK Parliament on advocating for the return of Azov POWs. The event was chaired by Rt Hon Victoria Prentis, Member of Parliament and Attorney General of England and Wales.
The Azov Brigade was represented at the roundtable by two Mariupol defenders and former prisoners of war: Lieutenant Arseniy "Process" Fedosiuk and Azov veteran Ruslan "David" Serbov, as well as Junior Sergeant Volodymyr "Zelandia" Vernyhora, who joined the brigade in 2023.
The Azov fighters and representatives of the Association spoke to members of two parties: the Conservatives and Labor. They told the MPs about Russia's war against Ukraine, the history of Azov, Russian crimes in Mariupol in 2022, as well as their own experience in Russian captivity and the importance of supporting the struggle to bring home about 900 captured Azov servicemen who are still in captivity for the third year.
The roundtable was supported and facilitated by Sir John Whittingdale MP, Rt Hon, and Bob Seely MP, Chair of the UK-Ukraine Parliamentary Friendship Group.
In May 2024 a delegation of servicemen from the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine and representatives of the Association of Families of the Defenders of Azovstal participated in the event "Defenders of Mariupol — 2 Years in Captivity”, which took place in London at the Reform Club.
The event was attended by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, member of the House of Lords, Lord Michael Ashcroft, Member of Parliament and Chair of the British-Ukrainian Parliamentary Friendship Group Bob Seely, MP Jack Lopresti, and former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Boris Johnson expressed his support for Azov and urged attendees not to believe what Russian propaganda says about the unit. Johnson said:
We should not believe a single word of Putin's propaganda about the Azov Brigade. They are heroes, they are people who are fighting for their country, for their homes, and they are doing it successfully. The incredible things you have done. You are fighting for all of Ukraine, for the very idea of democracy, and therefore you are fighting for everyone in this country. [...] We fully rely on heroes like those here with us today from the Azov Brigade to achieve victory. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you are doing! Glory to Ukraine!
"
A speech by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson dedicated to the Azov Brigade at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May 2024.
Ben Wallace emphasized the important role that the defense of Mariupol and the actions of the unit's fighters played in 2022. Wallace said:
I want to tell the heroes of the Azov Brigade and Mariupol how important what you have achieved has been for the West and for us. Because your success allowed us to stand together with the international community, capable of supporting Ukraine. And what you did in Mariupol showed the world that you can win. That was the biggest impact. [...] I believe you will win, and we will be with you until the very end of the United Kingdom. This is not about numbers, it is about will and morale. When I look at your brave men and women standing there in the trenches, against all odds — that is why you will win.
"
A speech by former UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace dedicated to the Azov Brigade at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May 2024.
A delegation of soldiers from the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov took part in two panel discussions with professors and students from Reuben College, University of Oxford, and King's College London as part of a working visit to the UK to advocate for the return of Azov POWs.
At the end of each of the meetings, a Q&A session was held, during which Azov representatives, in particular, refuted the myths about the unit spread by Russian propaganda in the West.
The panel discussion at Reuben College included Professor, Lord Lionel Tarassenko CBE, the founding President of Reuben College.
A delegation of Azov Brigade servicemen and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders held a work meeting with former British Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Liz Truss as part of an advocacy campaign for the captured Mariupol defenders in the UK.
In June 2024, the United States lifted the ban on arms, training and other military assistance to Azov, which had been in place since 2017. Azov passed the vetting process required by U.S. law, conducted by the State Department. The inspection was conducted under the Leahy Law, which prohibits the provision of military assistance to foreign units with credible evidence of serious human rights violations. Thus, the United States recognized that Azov's servicemen did not commit the war crimes that Russian propaganda accuses them of.
A state department spokesman told the BBC a vetting process "found no evidence of gross violations of human rights" by the brigade.
In June 2024, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova announced that The Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University had removed Azov from the list of extremist groups compiled by the Mapping Militants Project. The article "Azov battalion" contained many factual errors, inaccuracies and outright lies inspired by Russian propaganda regarding Azov.
Relatives of Azov soldiers met with Pope Francis twice. On May 11, 2022, when the defense of Azovstal was ongoing, Kateryna Prokopenko, wife of Azov commander Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, and Yuliia Fedosiuk, wife of Azov officer Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk, deputy head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, met with Pope Francis to urge him to help the defenders of Mariupol and handed over photos of wounded Azovstal defenders to the pontiff. He replied that the Vatican is ready to mediate the evacuation of the Mariupol garrison.
"Because of the pain in his knee, Pope Francis was sitting down to greet those who approached him at the end of the audience, but when Yuliia and Kateryna approached him, he stood up and devoted about five minutes to them", the Vatican News portal reported.
On June 26, 2024, Pope Francis met with relatives of the Azov prisoners of war illegally convicted by the Russians. The trip took place at the invitation of Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Apostolic Nunciature to Ukraine. Pope Francis was handed a brochure with basic information about the captured Azovstal defenders, including information about the terrorist attack in Olenivka carried out by Russians on the night of July 29, 2022. After the general audience, Tatiana, Tamara, Alla and Violetta, who are fighting for the release of their loved ones, presented their stories, pain and hopes to Pope Francis.
In July 2024, the French philosopher, documentary filmmaker and journalist Bernard-Henri Levy visited one of Azov's training bases, where he met with the brigade's commander, Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko. In his post on X (Twitter), Bernard-Henri Levy mentioned that he first met "Redis" in Mariupol back in 2020.
On September 4th, 2024, Azov fighter, senior soldier Mykola "Alfy" Gradnov-Savytskyi, who lost both lower limbs in the war, attended the Venice Film Festival with the team of the Songs of a Slow Burning Earth documentary. Mykola "Alfy" Hradnov-Savytskyi is an actor of the Wild Theater who joined Azov in 2022 and became a UAV operator. He was seriously injured in March 2024. At the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Mykola "Alfy" Gradnov-Savytskyi and the film's team appeared on the red carpet wearing embroidered clothes depicting the distance from Lido Island to eight detention centers where Russians are keeping Ukrainian prisoners of war. The embroidery on the Azov fighter's clothes read "1943 km. Olenivka colony. 29.07.2022" — the date and place where in July 2022, Russians blew up barracks with Azov prisoners of war, killing 53 prisoners and injuring more than 130.
Peter Todd, who is rumoured to be Satoshi Nakamoto in the HBO documentary, recognizes Azov as heroes.
In October 2024 representatives of the 12th Azov Brigade held meetings at the NATO headquarters dedicated to Ukrainian prisoners of war. The delegation met with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Marie-Doha Besancenot, Head of the Ukraine Cooperation Division and Transformation of NATO's Operations Division Francis Wells, representatives of NATO's Public Diplomacy Division, and Daniel Bate of the Human Security Unit of the NATO Secretary General's Office.
Also servicemen of the 12th Azov Brigade held a number of meetings with representatives of European institutions in Brussels.
In addition, the delegation took part in the discussion "Justice for Ukrainian Prisoners of War & the Path to Freedom" at the European Policy Center. The discussion was attended by Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Amanda Paul, Deputy Director of the Europe in the World Program, and Inge Tøgesen, Counsellor of the Norwegian Mission to the EU.
In October 2024, at the invitation of Ukrainian comedian and volunteer Vasyl Baidak, the famous American stand-up comedian Doug Stanhope and his colleagues Andy Andrist and Alex Hodgins visited the Azov artillery in the Donetsk region. Together with the Azov artillerymen, the comedians visited the places of deployment of personnel and cheered up the soldiers, tried to hit the target with firearms, learned how to fly a drone and learned more about the traditions of the Azov Brigade. For Doug Stanhope, the shot of the Azov fighters from the most powerful artillery gun "Giatsint" became symbolic. Doug has a tradition — his mother's ashes accompany the comedian in the most important and strange moments of his life. He left some of them in the Donetsk region. "Mothers final ride," Doug wrote on the shell, adding, "Mom would have loved this."
In October 2024 a delegation of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine, including Yuliia Fedosiuk, Head of the International Communications Department of Azov, Sergeant Valentyn Dziubenko, and Junior Sergeant Volodymyr Vernyhora took part in the annual Riga Conference. The event was organized by the Latvian Transatlantic Organization (LATO), the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
Yuliia Fedosiuk and Valentyn Dziubenko spoke at the panel discussion "Lessons for the West in Combating Hostile Informational Operations" moderated by Brian Whitmore, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Representatives of the brigade spoke about the methods used by the Russians in their information attacks on the unit for ten years, and for the first time publicly shared Azov's successful experience in fighting Russian propaganda on the international stage and presented some of Azov's counter-propaganda projects.
During the conference, the Azov delegation spoke with the former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges.
Representatives of the Azov Brigade also visited the National Defense Academy of Latvia, where they spoke about Azov's unique experience in countering Russian disinformation and answered questions from Latvian military personnel.
In addition, Azov servicemen held a working meeting at the headquarters of the 1st Riga Brigade of the Latvian National Guard (Zemessardze) with the Brigade Commander, Colonel Normunds Baranovs, and his team.
MYTH 7: AZOV IS RECOGNIZED AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN THE WESTERN WORLD
Azov is not listed as a terrorist organization in the United States. Azov is a legitimate part of the Ukrainian army and is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine.
Commentary of the commander of the Azov Brigade, Colonel Denys Prokopenko, for CNN on the situation in Mariupol. March 21, 2022
Delegations comprising Azov representatives have made two business visits to the US in 2022 and 2023. Azov members Georgiy Kuparashvili, Vladyslav Zhaivoronok and Arsenii Fedosiuk met with representatives of Congress and Senate of both parties, major international human rights organizations, think tanks, US military veterans and journalists.
Azov delegation with representatives of both parties of Congress. Washington, DC, Congressional building, September, 2022
Kateryna Prokopenko, President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders and wife of the Azov Brigade commander, Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Yulia Fedosiuk, Deputy President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Brigade fighter, and American journalist Jennifer Griffin. Fox News studio, June, 2023
Paul Massaro, Senior Political Advisor at the Helsinki Commission, with the Azov flag. 2023
Kateryna Prokopenko, President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders and wife of the Azov Brigade commander, Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Yulia Fedosiuk, Deputy President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders, and Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, a fighter of the Azov Brigade, during their business trip to the US Congress. Washington, DC, June 2023
Michael McFaul, a professor at Stanford University and former US Ambassador to Russia, participated in a meeting of Azov soldiers, defenders of Mariupol, with university students in October 2022.
In addition, the Azov representatives spoke at Stanford University with the renowned American philosopher Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama subsequently has publicly supported Azov in his tweets.
Political philosopher and professor Francis Fukuyama, President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders and wife of the Azov Brigade commander, Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Kateryna Prokopenko, Deputy President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders Yulia Fedosiuk, and Azov Brigade fighter Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk during a joint speech at Stanford University. June, 2023
Yuliia Fedosiuk, Giorgi Kuparashvili, Artur Lypka, Vladyslav Zhaivoronok spoke on Stanford campus September 30th, 2022
A speech by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson dedicated to the Azov Brigade at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May 2024.
Arseniy and Yuliia Fedosiuk, Kateryna Prokopenko spoke on Stanford campus June 29th, 2023
A speech by former UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace dedicated to the Azov Brigade at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May 2024.
Azov delegation with Stanford University students during a speech on campus. June, 2023
John Spencer, a renowned American military expert and Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, actively supports the Azov Brigade on his social media platforms and has recorded a series of podcasts with the brigade's fighters.
In 2023, Azov officer Ilia Samoilenko spoke at a UN meeting in New York, as well as at the World Economic Forum in Davos. Officer Serhiy Tsisaruk spoke at a meeting of the Council of Europe.
Ilia "Gandalf" Samoilenko after his speech at the Headquarters of the United Nations in New York, USA, February 2023
In 2022, the American Meta Platforms removed Azov from the lists of blocked organizations. This was announced by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov after a meeting with the company's President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and Vice President for Content Policy Monica Bickert. Azov now has verified accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
Rallies in support of Azov's prisoners of war, as well as rallies dedicated to the victims of the terrorist attack in Olenivka, gather a large number of participants in many US cities, including not only representatives of the Ukrainian community, but also Americans with no connection to Ukraine, who often have different political views.
Commemoration, one year after the terrorist attack against Azov prisoners in Olenivka. Chicago, 2023
We should not believe a single word of Putin's propaganda about the Azov Brigade. They are heroes, they are people who are fighting for their country, for their homes, and they are doing it successfully. The incredible things you have done. You are fighting for all of Ukraine, for the very idea of democracy, and therefore you are fighting for everyone in this country. [...] We fully rely on heroes like those here with us today from the Azov Brigade to achieve victory. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for what you are doing! Glory to Ukraine!
"
I want to tell the heroes of the Azov Brigade and Mariupol how important what you have achieved has been for the West and for us. Because your success allowed us to stand together with the international community, capable of supporting Ukraine. And what you did in Mariupol showed the world that you can win. That was the biggest impact. [...] I believe you will win, and we will be with you until the very end of the United Kingdom. This is not about numbers, it is about will and morale. When I look at your brave men and women standing there in the trenches, against all odds — that is why you will win.
"
A rally in support of the Azov POWs. Kyiv, 2024
Arsenii Fedosiuk visiting a rally in support of the Azov Brigade, New York, 2023
Rallies all over the world
Moreover, there are American citizens serving in the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine. One of them — the U.S. Army Marine Corps veteran and current staff sergeant of one of the Azov companies, call sign "Frodo” fights side by side with Ukrainians against the Russian invaders and publicly speaks out about his motivation to join the unit and fight Russian aggression far from his home, as well as debunks common myths about Azov constructed by Kremlin propaganda.
In January 2024, Azov Brigade officers Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk and Ilya "Gandalf" Samoilenko took part in the EstMil. tech 2024 military conference in Tallinn, Estonia. They made a presentation on "Network-centric warfare" at one of the conference panels moderated by Brigadier General Vahur Karus of the Estonian Army. Azov commander, Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, recorded a video address to the conference participants, in which he spoke about Azov's experience in fighting against the Russian army and the use of modern technologies on the battlefield.
Video message from Azov Commander, Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, to the participants of the EstMil. tech 2024 conference.
Azov Brigade officers Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk and Ilya “Gandalf” Samoilenko. EstMil. tech conference, Tallinn, January 25, 2024
Ostap Shved, an Azov combat medic who has been serving in the unit since 2014, defended Mariupol in 2022 and went through captivity, in February 2024 delivered a speech at a special OSCE event dedicated to the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity. Ostap was in the barracks at the Olenivka colony, where in July 2022 Russians committed a terrorist attack that killed more than 50 Azov soldiers and injured more than 130 others. In his speech, he shared how he received shrapnel wounds as a result of an explosion in the barracks, but kept providing medical care to his brothers in arms who were dying of blood loss. He testified that the colony's wardens did not provide assistance to the wounded for six hours. Instead of medical care, Ostap was transferred to Taganrog, Russia, where he was tortured for seven months and forced to confess to the murder of a civilian in Mariupol. He saw two other brothers in arms die as a result of torture. During his speech at the OSCE, the audience was in tears.
Ostap Shved at a special OSCE event dedicated to the deaths of Ukrainian soldiers in Russian captivity. February, 2024
In the fall of 2023, Andrii "Spider" Ihnatiuk, Head of the Humanitarian Support of the Personnel Section of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine, took part in the CIMIC (J9) training course on civil-military cooperation conducted by Special Operations Command Europe (USA) with the support of instructors from European countries.
On June 26, 2024, Pope Francis met with relatives of the Azov prisoners of war illegally convicted by the Russians. The trip took place at the invitation of Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, the Apostolic Nunciature to Ukraine. Pope Francis was handed a brochure with basic information about the captured Azovstal defenders, including information about the terrorist attack in Olenivka carried out by Russians on the night of July 29, 2022. After the general audience, Tatiana, Tamara, Alla and Violetta, who are fighting for the release of their loved ones, presented their stories, pain and hopes to Pope Francis.
Ben Wallace emphasized the important role that the defense of Mariupol and the actions of the unit's fighters played in 2022. Wallace said:
A delegation of Azov Brigade servicemen and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders held a work meeting with former British Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Liz Truss as part of an advocacy campaign for the captured Mariupol defenders in the UK.
During the conference, the Azov delegation spoke with the former commander of the U.S. Army in Europe, retired Lieutenant General Ben Hodges.
Representatives of the Azov Brigade also visited the National Defense Academy of Latvia, where they spoke about Azov's unique experience in countering Russian disinformation and answered questions from Latvian military personnel.
In addition, Azov servicemen held a working meeting at the headquarters of the 1st Riga Brigade of the Latvian National Guard (Zemessardze) with the Brigade Commander, Colonel Normunds Baranovs, and his team.
In October 2024 a delegation of the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine, including Yuliia Fedosiuk, Head of the International Communications Department of Azov, Sergeant Valentyn Dziubenko, and Junior Sergeant Volodymyr Vernyhora took part in the annual Riga Conference. The event was organized by the Latvian Transatlantic Organization (LATO), the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Latvia and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Latvia.
Yuliia Fedosiuk and Valentyn Dziubenko spoke at the panel discussion "Lessons for the West in Combating Hostile Informational Operations" moderated by Brian Whitmore, Nonresident Senior Fellow at the Atlantic Council. Representatives of the brigade spoke about the methods used by the Russians in their information attacks on the unit for ten years, and for the first time publicly shared Azov's successful experience in fighting Russian propaganda on the international stage and presented some of Azov's counter-propaganda projects.
In October 2024 representatives of the 12th Azov Brigade held meetings at the NATO headquarters dedicated to Ukrainian prisoners of war. The delegation met with NATO’s Assistant Secretary General for Public Diplomacy Marie-Doha Besancenot, Head of the Ukraine Cooperation Division and Transformation of NATO's Operations Division Francis Wells, representatives of NATO's Public Diplomacy Division, and Daniel Bate of the Human Security Unit of the NATO Secretary General's Office.
Boris Johnson expressed his support for Azov and urged attendees not to believe what Russian propaganda says about the unit. Johnson said:
A delegation of soldiers from the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov took part in two panel discussions with professors and students from Reuben College, University of Oxford, and King's College London as part of a working visit to the UK to advocate for the return of Azov POWs.
At the end of each of the meetings, a Q&A session was held, during which Azov representatives, in particular, refuted the myths about the unit spread by Russian propaganda in the West.
The panel discussion at Reuben College included Professor, Lord Lionel Tarassenko CBE, the founding President of Reuben College.
In June 2024, Ambassador of Ukraine to the United States Oksana Markarova announced that The Center for International Security and Cooperation at Stanford University had removed Azov from the list of extremist groups compiled by the Mapping Militants Project. The article "Azov battalion" contained many factual errors, inaccuracies and outright lies inspired by Russian propaganda regarding Azov.
Yuliia Fedosiuk, Head of the International Communications Department of Azov, and Valentyn Dziubenko, Azov Sergeant, at the Riga Conference. October, 2024.
Head of the International Communications Department of Azov Yuliia Fedosiuk and Azov Sergeant Valentyn Dziubenko speaking at the panel discussion at the Riga Conference. October, 2024.
In June 2024, the United States lifted the ban on arms, training and other military assistance to Azov, which had been in place since 2017. Azov passed the vetting process required by U.S. law, conducted by the State Department. The inspection was conducted under the Leahy Law, which prohibits the provision of military assistance to foreign units with credible evidence of serious human rights violations. Thus, the United States recognized that Azov's servicemen did not commit the war crimes that Russian propaganda accuses them of.
In May 2024 a delegation of servicemen from the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine and representatives of the Association of Families of the Defenders of Azovstal participated in the event "Defenders of Mariupol — 2 Years in Captivity”, which took place in London at the Reform Club.
The event was attended by former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace, member of the House of Lords, Lord Michael Ashcroft, Member of Parliament and Chair of the British-Ukrainian Parliamentary Friendship Group Bob Seely, MP Jack Lopresti, and former Conservative Party leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith.
Azov delegation at the NATO headquarters. Brussels, October, 2024.
Azov commander Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko and French philosopher Bernard-Henri Levy at the Azov training base. July, 2024
Andrii "Spider" Ihnatiuk at a CIMIC (J9) training course on civil-military cooperation. 2023
Speech by Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk during the event “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity”. Next to him are former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson and former British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Former British Prime Minister Boris Johnson, Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora and Azov veteran Ruslan “David” Serbov at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk and Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora during a meeting with faculty and students of King's College London. May, 2024.
Victoria Prentice MP, Attorney General of England and Wales, and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders Kateryna Prokopenko, Yuliia Fedosiuk and Yevhenia Synelnyk during a roundtable discussion in the UK Parliament on advocating for the release of Azov POWs. London, May 2024.
Former UK Secretary of Defense Ben Wallace, Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora, and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders Kateryna Prokopenko and Yevhenia Synelnyk at the “Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Member of the House of Lords, Lord Michael Ashcroft and Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk at the "Mariupol Defenders — 2 Years in Captivity" event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk, Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora and Azov veteran Ruslan “David” Serbov during a speech at a roundtable in the British Parliament on advocating for the release of Azov POWs. London, May 2024.
Azov servicemen and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders during a roundtable discussion in the UK Parliament on advocating for the release of Azov POWs. London, May 2024.
Professor, Lord Lionel Tarassenko CBE, the founding President of Reuben College, Azov Brigade Lieutenant Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk and Azov Junior Sergeant Volodymyr “Zelandia” Vernyhora during a meeting with faculty and students of Reuben College at the University of Oxford. Oxford, May, 2024.
Member of the British Parliament Jack Lopresti and representatives of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders: Kateryna Prokopenko, Yuliia Fedosiuk and Yevhenia Synelnyk, at the “Mariupol Defenders - 2 Years in Captivity” event. London, Reform Club, May, 2024.
A state department spokesman told the BBC a vetting process "found no evidence of gross violations of human rights" by the brigade.
Relatives of Azov soldiers met with Pope Francis twice. On May 11, 2022, when the defense of Azovstal was ongoing, Kateryna Prokopenko, wife of Azov commander Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, and Yuliia Fedosiuk, wife of Azov officer Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk, deputy head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, met with Pope Francis to urge him to help the defenders of Mariupol and handed over photos of wounded Azovstal defenders to the pontiff. He replied that the Vatican is ready to mediate the evacuation of the Mariupol garrison.
"Because of the pain in his knee, Pope Francis was sitting down to greet those who approached him at the end of the audience, but when Yuliia and Kateryna approached him, he stood up and devoted about five minutes to them", the Vatican News portal reported.
Kateryna Prokopenko, wife of Azov commander Denys "Redis" Prokopenko, head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, and Yuliia Fedosiuk, wife of Azov fighter Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk, deputy head of the Association of Azovstal Defenders' Families, at a meeting with Pope Francis. Vatican City, May 11, 2022
Relatives of the Azov fighters who were illegally convicted by the Russians: Tatiana, Tamara, Alla and Violetta at a meeting with Pope Francis. Vatican City, June 26, 2024
In July 2024, the French philosopher, documentary filmmaker and journalist Bernard-Henri Levy visited one of Azov's training bases, where he met with the brigade's commander, Colonel Denys "Redis" Prokopenko. In his post on X (Twitter), Bernard-Henri Levy mentioned that he first met "Redis" in Mariupol back in 2020.
Former British Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Liz Truss and Azov lieutenant Arsenii "Process" Fedosiuk, a veteran of the unit Ruslan "David" Serbov, Azov junior sergeant Volodymyr "Zelandia" Vernyhora, representatives of the Association Kateryna Prokopenko, Yuliia Fedosiuk and Yevhenia Synelnyk. London. May, 2024
On September 4th, 2024, Azov fighter, senior soldier Mykola "Alfy" Gradnov-Savytskyi, who lost both lower limbs in the war, attended the Venice Film Festival with the team of the Songs of a Slow Burning Earth documentary. Mykola "Alfy" Hradnov-Savytskyi is an actor of the Wild Theater who joined Azov in 2022 and became a UAV operator. He was seriously injured in March 2024. At the 81st Venice International Film Festival, Mykola "Alfy" Gradnov-Savytskyi and the film's team appeared on the red carpet wearing embroidered clothes depicting the distance from Lido Island to eight detention centers where Russians are keeping Ukrainian prisoners of war. The embroidery on the Azov fighter's clothes read "1943 km. Olenivka colony. 29.07.2022" — the date and place where in July 2022, Russians blew up barracks with Azov prisoners of war, killing 53 prisoners and injuring more than 130.
Mykola "Alfy" Hradnov-Savytskyi, a senior soldier of the Azov Brigade, and the team behind the documentary Songs of a Slowly Burning Land at the 81st Venice International Film Festival. September, 2024
Mykola "Alfy" Gradnov-Savitsky, a senior soldier of the Azov Brigade, on the red carpet of the 81st Venice International Film Festival. September, 2024
Peter Todd, who is rumoured to be Satoshi Nakamoto in the HBO documentary, recognizes Azov as heroes.
Also servicemen of the 12th Azov Brigade held a number of meetings with representatives of European institutions in Brussels.
Azov delegation at the European Parliament. Brussels, October, 2024.
In addition, the delegation took part in the discussion "Justice for Ukrainian Prisoners of War & the Path to Freedom" at the European Policy Center. The discussion was attended by Andriy Kostin, Prosecutor General of Ukraine, Amanda Paul, Deputy Director of the Europe in the World Program, and Inge Tøgesen, Counsellor of the Norwegian Mission to the EU.
In October 2024, at the invitation of Ukrainian comedian and volunteer Vasyl Baidak, the famous American stand-up comedian Doug Stanhope and his colleagues Andy Andrist and Alex Hodgins visited the Azov artillery in the Donetsk region. Together with the Azov artillerymen, the comedians visited the places of deployment of personnel and cheered up the soldiers, tried to hit the target with firearms, learned how to fly a drone and learned more about the traditions of the Azov Brigade. For Doug Stanhope, the shot of the Azov fighters from the most powerful artillery gun "Giatsint" became symbolic. Doug has a tradition — his mother's ashes accompany the comedian in the most important and strange moments of his life. He left some of them in the Donetsk region. "Mothers final ride," Doug wrote on the shell, adding, "Mom would have loved this."
Doug Stanhope with his colleagues and artillerymen of the Azov Brigade, Donetsk region, October 2024.
Former U.S. Army Europe Commander Lieutenant General (Ret.) Ben Hodges with Yuliia Fedosiuk, Head of the International Communications Department of Azov, and Volodymyr Vernyhora, Azov Junior Sergeant. Riga, October, 2024.