Ukrainian neo-Nazis planning European PR tour
Ukraine’s 3rd Assault Brigade, which includes fighters from the notorious neo-Nazi Azov Regiment, has announced plans to embark on a tour of EU countries.
In two separate posts on Facebook last week, the unit said its service members would travel to nine cities in Poland, Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, the Czech Republic, and Lithuania in late July and early August. Participants at the events will be able to speak with Ukrainian soldiers to learn “the truth about serving in the brigade” and hear stories from the front lines, one of the posts said.
One of the tour’s goals is to encourage more people to take part in the fight against Russia, either directly or indirectly, the other post stated. Attendance at the events costs around €20 ($22) depending on the location.
The 3rd Assault Brigade was officially formed in early 2023. It includes many members of the neo-Nazi Azov Regiment, widely suspected of multiple war crimes, which has been fighting in Donbass since 2014, when hostilities erupted in the region following a Western-backed coup in Kiev.
The unit is led by Andrey Biletsky, who has been described as white supremacist and nationalist with a particular distaste for Jews. The brigade also uses a modified emblem of the Wolfsangel, used by several German divisions during World War II, including the 2nd SS Panzer Division Das Reich, which was notorious for its war crimes.
During the Ukraine conflict the Azov Regiment took active part in hostilities near the cities of Artyomovsk (known as Bakhmut in Ukraine) and Avdeevka, both of which were captured by Russian troops after weeks of fierce fighting.
The unit’s members are poised to embark on a PR trip after their counterparts from 12th Special Operations Brigade ‘Azov,’ which also incorporates numerous Ukrainian neo-Nazis, released a video in which its soldiers brutally executed an apparently unarmed Russian soldier. Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov called the unit “fascists” who “should be eliminated,” arguing that the incident was yet more proof of Kiev’s war crimes.
Moscow has repeatedly said that any foreign mercenaries fighting for Ukraine will be “legitimate targets” on the battlefield.
