Azov Brigade
Ukrainian National Guard brigade
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September 2024 | The Azov brigade was reported to be part of Ukrainian reinforcements to Pokrovsk, conducting small-scale counterattacks to slow or slightly push back Russian gains. |
August 2024 | The brigade was reportedly diverted from Lyman to assist in ongoing fighting around Niu-York. |
June 10 2024 | The United States Department of State lifted a ban preventing the Azov Brigade from using US-supplied weapons, stating that the unit passed Leahy vetting and found no evidence of human rights violations. |
May 2024 | 3rd Special Forces Battalion of the Azov Brigade was disbanded. |
2023 | Russia began criminal prosecutions against Azov Regiment members, charging them with involvement in a terrorist organization and attempting to overthrow Russia-backed authorities in the Donetsk region. |
2023 | Biletsky denied a reported split between the Azov Brigade and the 3rd Assault Brigade, stating 'There is no split'. |
June 8 2023 | Azov's top commanders, including Prokopenko, returned from internment in Turkey back to Ukraine, a move repudiated by Russia. |
February 2023 | Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs announces that Azov is to be expanded as a brigade of the new Offensive Guard. |
January 2023 | Azov SSO units were merged and reformed into the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade under the Ukrainian Ground Forces, becoming a mechanised infantry unit designed for mobile and effective combat operations. |
2022 | The Jerusalem Post raised concerns about the MATADOR anti-tank weapon (co-developed by Germany, Israel, and Singapore) being used by a fighter from the Azov Battalion, which the newspaper characterized as 'Neo-Nazi'. |
2022 | The regiment's size is estimated to have reduced to around 900 combatants. |
November 2022 | Italian police arrest four members of the neo-Nazi subversive group 'Order of Hagal', with one suspect shown to be in contact with the Azov battalion. |
September 22 2022 | A significant prisoner exchange occurred, with Ukraine releasing 215 Ukrainian prisoners of war, including 188 Azov Regiment members. Azov commanders Denys Prokopenko and Sviatoslav Palamar were among those exchanged and agreed to remain in Turkey until the end of the war. |
August 2 2022 | The Russian Supreme Court declared the Azov Regiment a terrorist organization, allowing for harsher penalties against its members, with potential jail sentences up to 20 years for leaders. |
June 2022 | Kacper Rekawek notes that Ukrainian units with far-right histories are now integrated into Ukraine's armed forces and have largely stopped foreign recruitment, with the Azov Regiment being decimated during the siege of Mariupol. |
June 18 2022 | Mykyta Nadtochiy was appointed as the new commander of the Azov Regiment, reportedly chosen by Prokopenko during the siege of Mariupol. |
May 2022 | Captain Sviatoslav Palamar serves as the unit's second in command and is later captured by Russian forces, subsequently released in a prisoner swap. |
May 17 2022 | Negotiations involving UN and ICRC mediators successfully established a humanitarian corridor to end the siege of Azovstal. |
May 16 2022 | Following orders from the high command, Azov members in Azovstal, including Prokopenko, surrender to Russian forces among approximately 2,500 Ukrainian soldiers. |
May 16 2022 | The Ukrainian General Staff announced that the Mariupol garrison, including Azov Regiment, had 'fulfilled its combat mission' and evacuations from Azovstal steel factory began. |
April 2022 | A controversial video link appearance of a Ukrainian soldier from the Azov Regiment during a speech to the Hellenic Parliament, led by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, sparked political outrage in Greece due to the group's alleged neo-Nazi associations. |
April 20 2022 | A Russian journalist publicly suggested that Azov leaders like Prokopenko should be publicly executed and their bodies left hanging as a 'reminder'. |
March 19 2022 | President Volodymyr Zelenskyy awarded the title of Hero of Ukraine to Azov's commander in Mariupol, Lieutenant Colonel Denys Prokopenko, recognizing his leadership during the defense of the city. |
March 16 2022 | During the Siege of Mariupol, Russia denied responsibility for bombing the Donetsk Regional Drama Theater, falsely claiming Azov Regiment had taken civilians hostage and bombed the building themselves. |
February 2022 | The Azov Regiment led the defense of Mariupol at the beginning of Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. |
February 2022 | Ukrainian National Guard releases a video showing an Azov fighter preparing bullets with pig fat, targeting Kadyrovite forces. |
2021 | The Azov movement became less strong due to internal infighting and reduced international outreach activities. |
2021 | Time reports on Azov Movement's use of Facebook to recruit far-right individuals from other countries, highlighting recruitment instances from 2018. |
October 2021 | The Jerusalem Post published an article citing Oleksiy Kuzmenko's report on Centuria, highlighting its ties to the Azov movement and members receiving training from Western countries while at the Hetman Petro Sahaidachny National Army Academy. |
July 2021 | Arsen Avakov resigned from his position as Minister of the Interior, ending his direct collaboration with Andriy Biletsky on matters relating to the Azov regiment. |
2020 | The National Militia ceased its activities and became inactive, with the Centuria group effectively replacing it. |
2020 | Soldiers from the Azov regiment appeared in a video ad with leaders of the 'National Corps' political party. |
2020 | Ukraine deports two American Atomwaffen members who wanted to join the Azov regiment. |
2019 | Chinese media attempted to link Azov veterans to the Hong Kong protests, attempting to create a narrative about US funding of the group. |
2019 | Evidence emerged via social media showing Azov Regiment members training with Canadian instructors. |
2019 | National Corps formed a far-right political coalition with the Governmental Initiative of Yarosh, Right Sector, and Svoboda parties for the Ukrainian parliamentary election. The coalition won 2.15% of the nationwide electoral list vote but failed to secure any seats in the Verkhovna Rada. |
2019 | Azov Regiment declares it is no longer accepting foreigners, stating that foreigners can only serve in the Ukrainian Army as contract service members. |
2019 | The FBI arrests a 24-year-old American soldier for a bomb plot who wanted to travel to Ukraine to join the regiment. |
2019 | Facebook temporarily forbids support for the Azov Movement and associated organizations under its Dangerous Individuals and Organizations policy. |
2019 | The Azov Regiment spent eight months on the front line at the Svitlodarsk arc, returning after being withdrawn for more than three years. |
October 2019 | US House Democrats requested the Azov Regiment be classified as a Foreign Terrorist Organization, which sparked protests by Azov supporters in Ukraine. |
June 2019 | Military parade held to commemorate the five-year anniversary of the Ukrainian victory in the battle of Mariupol, featuring members of the Azov Regiment, National Guard of Ukraine, National Police of Ukraine, and State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. |
2018 | More than 40 Israeli human rights activists signed a petition against arms sales to Ukraine, expressing concerns that weapons might be used by groups they claimed had neo-Nazi ideology, including the Azov Regiment. |
2018 | Canadian officials met with leaders from the Azov Regiment, with concerns primarily focused on potential media exposure rather than the unit's neo-Nazi beliefs. |
2018 | The US House of Representatives passed a provision blocking any training of Azov members by American forces, citing neo-Nazi connections. |
June 7 2018 | National Militia carried out an attack on a Romani settlement in Holosiyivskiy Park in Kyiv, using axes and sledgehammers to dismantle the community, which was the fourth such attack by far-right groups against Romani settlements in Ukraine in the past month and a half. |
January 29 2018 | Members of the National Militia stormed a municipal council meeting in Cherkasy, refusing to let officials leave until they approved the city's long-delayed budget. |
2017 | Formation of the paramilitary National Militia group, closely linked to the Azov movement, with a stated aim of assisting law enforcement agencies and conducting street patrols. |
2017 | The government conducted background checks, observations, and citizenship screening for Azov group members, vetting foreign fighters and neo-Nazis. Fighters who did not pass screening were offered positions in civilian volunteer corps. |
2017 | The regiment's size is estimated to be around 2,500 combatants. |
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