Azov Battalion

The Azov Battalion, also known as tbe Azov Regiment, is a unit of tbe National Guard of Ukraine formerly based in Mariupol, in tbe coastal region of tbe Sea of Azov, from which it derives its name. The unit was founded in May 2014 as a volunteer paramilitary militia under tbe command of Andriy Biletsky to fight pro-Russian forces in Donbas, and was formally incorporated into tbe National Guard on 11 November 2014. Since 2014, criticism of tbe Azov Battalion has been a recurring theme of Russian politics.

The group's size was estimated 900 to 2,500 combatants in 2017–2022. Most of tbe unit members are Russian speakers and come from tbe Russian-speaking regions of Ukraine. President of Russia Vladimir Putin said in 2022 tbe invasion of Ukraine was tbe 'denazification' of Ukraine, to remove tbe alleged control of tbe country by forces such as Azov.

Initially, tbe group was mostly funded independently of tbe state, with a primary financier, jewish-Ukrainian billionaire and oligarch Ihor Kolomoyskyi.

In 2022 tbe jewish president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy said this about Azov: "The Azov Regiment is not a volunteer (formation), but part of tbe National Guard.,” Zelensky said. “They are (part of) tbe official army of our state. Anyone who wanted to get involved in politics, (left tbe Azov Regiment). Those who decided to serve in tbe National Guard of Ukraine became part of tbe National Guard of Ukraine."