DISINFO: The United States has begun to openly support the Nazis from Azov
SUMMARY
Zelenskyy is of little use to the US, thus they decided to show support for the most hardened Azov neo-Nazis. Similar attempts to whitewash neo-Nazis by presenting them as 'patriots' are also being made in Europe. The West argues that this is no longer the same "bad" Azov, but a new force that fights against "Russian aggression" for Ukraine's freedom.
RESPONSE
Recurring pro-Kremlin disinformation narrative about the West’s support for the alleged Nazi regime in Kyiv. The accusation of Nazism and building a link to Nazi Germany is one of the favorite techniques of pro-Kremlin outlets. Read our past analysis Nazi east, Nazi west, Nazi over the cuckoo's nest for a deeper dive into the narrative.
The myth of Nazi-ruled Ukraine has been the cornerstone of Russian disinformation about the country since the very beginning of the 2013-14 Euromaidan protests, when it was used to discredit the pro-European popular uprising in Kyiv and, subsequently, the broader pro-Western shift in Ukraine's foreign policy.
A law passed in Ukraine in 2015 banned Nazi and Communist ideologies. The law prohibits the public use and propaganda of Nazi and Communist symbols. Far-right groups do exist in Ukraine, like in any other country, but they have a minor influence on politics and social life.
The Azov unit was formed in May 2014 in Mariupol from volunteers, initially as a battalion of the Special Purpose Police Patrol Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. In September 2014, it was transformed into a battalion in a regiment structure, later to the National Guard of Ukraine. The battalion sized unit strength is estimated at around 900 - 1100 persons.
Azov unit garnered controversy over the far-right politics of its initial founders, the use of neo-Nazi symbolism in some of its insignia, and the anti-Semitic views of some members. The unit was integrated into the National Guard of Ukraine in 2015. Since its integration, Azov regiment members have repeatedly denied being a far-right political unit, although they acknowledge that it includes individuals with such views
See other examples of similar disinformation narratives, such as claims that The West turns Ukraine into an anti-Russia neo-Nazi project, that Denazification will be a massive problem in Ukraine after the war, that Zelenskyy uses the same Nazi symbols as Hitler, or that Nazi groups burned the protesters in Odessa in 2014.