One of the organizations involved in the defense of Ukraine after the Russian attacks is the Azov Battalion, a paramilitary group integrated into the Ukrainian Army.

This regiment, formed in 2014 by domestic and foreign volunteers to fight alongside the regular Army against pro-Russian separatists in the east of the country, is known for its fierce combat.

Officially integrated since then into the Ukrainian government forces, he is accused by NGOs and Western experts of serious abuses, arbitrary arrests, summary executions and torture, as well as having neo-Nazi fighters in his ranks.

“(About the Azov Battalion), a paramilitary unit of the National Guard of Ukraine, which according to the FBI is associated with neo-Nazi ideology,” stated a report by the US Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS).

This organization arouses strong controversy: on the one hand, their role in the resistance has given them a stamp of saviours and, on the other, their ultranationalist and extremist discourse raises criticism in public opinion, which generates arguments of a process of “denazification”, manipulated by Putin to justify the invasion.

In this regard, the young Motyka and Kravchenko, two wounded Ukrainian defenders interviewed by AFP on March 5, have tattoos – skulls and ultra-nationalist signs – that show their belonging to the controversial Azov Battalion.

“The Azov Battalion brings together different people, from different countries, and we love our allies” in the West, Kravshenko claimed.

When they are recovered, “in a few weeks” at most, Motyka and Kravshenko will return to combat. “Our morale is at the highest,” said the first.

The Azov Battalion trained citizens of Kyiv

Weeks before Russia’s first attack on Ukraine, the Azov Battalion taught self-defence and survival techniques to citizens of Kyiv under the slogan: “Instead of panicking, prepare.”

“Panic can happen when people don’t know how to react, how to use a weapon, how to defend themselves, what to do in the event of a shooting,” explained Maksim Jorin, a former Azov commander, as he welcomed the participants who lined up under the snowflakes.

In small groups, the participants, mainly young people, but also entire families learned how to hold and handle a weapon using wooden replica Kalashnikov rifles.

They also received training in first aid and, in a ruined building, they were shown how to move around inside a building taken over by the enemy.