“Kyiv will not respond to this”: why in the USA they demand to recognize the Ukrainian Azov battalion as a terrorist organization

The appeal of American congressmen to recognize the Azov Ukrainian Volunteer Regiment as a terrorist organization testifies to the US establishment’s tiredness from Ukraine, experts say. At the same time, analysts believe that such initiatives are unlikely to force Kiev to change its attitude towards this and other similar neo-Nazi groups, since the Ukrainian authorities are afraid of a conflict with the radicals.

Earlier, members of the US House of Representatives sent a letter to the State Department demanding that the Ukrainian volunteer battalion Azov be recognized as a foreign terrorist organization. The author of the initiative was New York State Congresswoman Democrat Max Rose. The letter was signed by 40 congressmen, among whom was the head of the committee on international affairs, Democrat Eliot Engel.

The text of the appeal notes that the Azov battalion is “a well-known Ukrainian ultranationalist paramilitary organization that openly accepts neo-Nazis into its ranks.”

“This group is so famous that even in the bill of the US Congress on state spending for 2018, it was noted that“ no funds allocated under this law can be used to arm and train members of the Azov battalion or to provide them with other assistance ". Despite the relatively short history of this group, the UN recorded a number of cases of human rights violations and torture. According to the FBI, contrary to these facts, Azov has continued to recruit, radicalize and train American citizens for years, ”the congressmen write.

The authors note that it is impossible to distinguish between types of terrorism. They point out that the FBI has resources and tools that allow them to respond to the threat posed by U.S. citizens swearing allegiance to IS *, but these resources and tools are unavailable when it comes to extremist groups that advocate white supremacy and use violent methods.

Congressmen emphasized that there is a direct link between the Azov battalion and a number of terrorist attacks in the United States.

“The New Zealand Christchurch massacre was a turning point in the fight against terrorism. In his manifesto, the shooter claimed that he trained in the Azov battalion in Ukraine and constantly wore neo-Nazi symbols associated with it. According to the shooters from Powey and El Paso, the attacks in Christchurch had a direct impact on them. The connection between Azov and the terrorist attacks in America is obvious, ”American parliamentarians say.

Commenting on the message of American congressmen, an expert at the Center for Security Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences Konstantin Blokhin, in an interview with RT, noted that all participants in the US political process “began to get tired” of Ukraine and its related problems.

“This fatigue is caused by the internal political situation in the United States itself. The congressmen’s position on the Azov regiment reflects these changes in the American elite ... It is entirely possible that the State Department will take this path and recognize Azov as a terrorist organization, ”Blokhin said.

On the hook at the FBI

In their appeal, members of Congress rely on the statement of the FBI agent Scott Birwerth made in 2018 in court during the consideration of the case of members of the American right-wing radical group Rise Above Movement. Four representatives of this association were charged with conspiracy to participate in riots in the city of Charlottesville in 2017.

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Then this locality became the scene of clashes between ultra-right and radical left activists, and the plans for the demolition of the monument to Confederate Army General Robert Edward Lee served as an occasion. As a result of numerous skirmishes, several dozen people suffered, one died. A total of about 1,500 people took part in the conflict. To suppress the riots, the authorities had to declare a state of emergency in the city and resort to the help of the National Guard.

Birwerth claimed in his testimony that the four members of the Rise Above Movement who took part in the riots were associated with nationalists from the Azov battalion.

According to him, members of the group visited Germany, Italy and Ukraine, and in August 2018 they met with Elena Semenyaka, the representative of the National Corps party, which is the “political wing” of the Azov battalion.

“Based on my training and experience, I know that the Azov battalion is a paramilitary unit of the Ukrainian National Guard. It is often associated with Nazi ideology, as well as the use of appropriate symbolism. According to some reports, members of the organization could take part in the training and radicalization of white racist organizations in the US, ”the FBI agent said in his testimony.

Nationalist international

Incidents related to the undesirable influence of Azov on some American citizens were recorded in 2019. So, in September, FBI agents arrested an American soldier named Jarrett Smith, who was planning to blow up the headquarters of one of the news channels, and also distributed on the Internet drawings and instructions necessary for the manufacture of explosive devices.

• Fighters of the battalion "Azov"
• Reuters
• © Vasily Fedosenko

VICE, citing investigation data, reported that shortly after joining the U.S. Army, Smith entered into correspondence with another American who, in 2017-2019, repeatedly traveled to Ukraine to participate in hostilities on the side of nationalist armed groups. This man became a mentor for Smith and prepared him for a trip to Ukraine and joining Azov or a similar organization, the FBI said in the case file.

In September 2019, hearings on the issue of internal terrorism were held in the U.S. House of Representatives - this is what the American media and political circles refer to as the type of crime committed by US citizens for political reasons inside the country.

During these hearings, security expert and former FBI agent Ali Sufan also mentioned Azov, noting that the battalion was actively recruiting foreigners with neo-Nazi views, including Americans.

• Fighters of the battalion "Azov"
• Reuters
• © Vasily Fedosenko

Kiev will keep silent

The expert of the Council on Interethnic Relations under the President of Russia Bogdan Bezpalko, in an interview with RT, suggested that in Kiev the US Congress would not react to such an attack.

“I think that they will not react to this in Kiev, just try to shut it up. Another thing is that such initiatives and even the officially existing embargo on arms supplies to Azov have not yet led to a ban on the activities of this terrorist organization that preaches the ideas of Nazism and racism, ”the expert noted.

Bezpalko recalled that, despite the increasing criticism of Ukrainian neo-Nazis from Western countries, the situation with these paramilitary groups has not changed. You should not expect any significant action in this direction from President Vladimir Zelensky, the political scientist added.

“The Azov regiment feels great today. The commander of the "Azov" Andrei Biletsky, who was a deputy of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine for a long time, is now quite successfully disrupting the troop withdrawal on the contact line in the Donbass. What can we talk about if the Prime Minister of Ukraine Goncharuk attended a neo-Nazi concert at which he thanked them from the stage for their support? With such sentiments in the country, Zelensky is unlikely to express himself directly against right-wing radicals, even if the US State Department decides to recognize them as terrorists, ”concluded Bezpalko.

* “Islamic State” (ISIS, ISIS) - the organization was recognized as terrorist by decision of the Supreme Court of the Russian Federation of December 29, 2014.