Ukrainian Azov Irregulars Posed With Portrait of Adolf Hitler

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Zvezda TV reported that a group of irregulars from the infamous Azov Unit posed with a portrait of Adolf Hitler. The group photo, published on Facebook by someone with the username “Weiss Kämpfer” (German for “White Fighter”) shows a group of eleven bare-chested young men, and another in a t-shirt featuring the official symbol of the unit, which incorporates runic characters used by Nazi German SS units during the VOV. A soldier in the centre of the photo holds a portrait of the late German Führer. Facebook and Twitter users were quick to voice their hostility over the photo, one user noting sarcastically, “I say, there are no fascists in the Ukraine… it’s all Putin propaganda”. Others said that they hoped that the Azov fighters would soon meet the VSN on the battlefield, alluding to its poor training. The all-volunteer Azov unit is widely reported to be amongst the most brutal of the so-called “National Guard”. They formed in April 2014 and have expanded to regiment-size. The regiment has unrepentant fascists and nationalists in the ranks, listing its ideology as “social nationalist”, including Ukrainian and foreign volunteers. The unit uses Nazi German runic symbolism for its flag. Novorossiyan and Russian commentators accused this unit of widespread abuses and of committing war crimes against civilians. At present, the unit is in Mariupol. In September 2014, the BBC quoted its commander, Andrei Biletsky, condemning the first cease-fire in Minsk; he commented, “If it was a tactical move, there’s nothing wrong with it… if it’s an attempt to reach an agreement concerning Ukrainian soil with separatists (sic), then obviously it’s a betrayal”. Earlier this week, a video showed unit members, which sluggishly denied its association with outright fascism and Nazism, in a “training dance” featuring Nazi salutes.

31 January 2015

Sputnik International

http://sputniknews.com/europe/20150131/1017591477.html