US gives approval for Azov brigade to utilize American weapons – WP
The Joe Biden administration has lifted the decade-long ban on the Azov brigade, a division of the National Guard, from using American weapons.
The Washington Post reports this with reference to the US State Department.
As stated in the publication, the military unit was prohibited from using American weapons approximately 10 years ago due to the determination of American officials that some of its leaders held racist, xenophobic, and ultra-nationalistic beliefs.
According to journalists, the State Department of the United States conducted an inspection of the military unit to ensure compliance with the criteria of the "Leahy Act"—one of the norms of American law, according to which it is prohibited to supply weapons to foreign groups that have committed crimes against human rights.
The officials did not find any signs of violations, so it was decided to lift the restrictions.
"After a thorough inspection, the Ukrainian 12th special purpose brigade "Azov" passed the inspection conducted by the US State Department," the statement reads.
The brigade will have access to US military assistance like any other unit of Ukraine's armed forces.
The Washington Post reports that a US State Department representative did not specify the date when the ban on Azov's use of American weapons was lifted and whether or not they have already begun using them.
For reference:
Denys Prokopenko, the commander of Ukraine's 12th Azov Special Brigade in the National Guard, urged the USA on April 19 to lift the ban on weapons for Azov fighters. He emphasized that this restriction significantly weakens Ukraine's defense capabilities.
In 2015, Congressman John Conyers Jr., a Democratic representative from Michigan, put forth an amendment that aimed to prevent the use of funds provided by the US Consolidated Appropriations Act for arming, training, or assisting the Azov battalion. The amendment was subsequently approved by Congress due to media coverage portraying Azov as openly neo-Nazi and fascist.
The aforementioned amendment was preserved in this year's draft law on defense appropriations.
"This amendment, which moves from one Appropriations bill to another every year, is the reason that in 2022, during the defense of Mariupol, "Azov" did not have the latest Western weapons. At that time, we restrained the overwhelming enemy forces in the surrounding Mariupol, using extremely limited resources they had and showed extremely high efficiency.
How many lives of personnel would have been saved and what would have been the results of the city's defense if, in addition to high motivation, coordination, and professionalism, Azov fighters had modern armored vehicles and artillery systems at their disposal," Redis [callsign of Denys Prokopenko – ed.] emphasizes.
Later, on May 3, 2024, it was announced that the petition on the Ukrainian President's website requesting the United States to unblock the provision of weapons and assistance to the 12th Azov Special Forces Brigade had been denied. It was noted in Azov that the President's website had rejected the petition twice.
It should be noted that starting in 2014, Azov has transitioned from a battalion to a distinct special operations unit. In February of 2023, it officially became the 12th Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The Azov Regiment, which played a crucial role in defending Mariupol, was omitted from the recent US military assistance package due to accusations of neo-Nazism. Additionally, they are prohibited from engaging in joint training exercises with NATO troops in Europe.
The Azov brigade denies allegations of being neo-Nazi, noting that their volunteer group now includes members from different ethnic and religious backgrounds, including soldiers who are Jewish. The military also believes that these accusations may have been influenced by Russian propaganda.
