Radical defense: in the Rada and the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine they opposed the plans of US congressmen to recognize the Azov fighters as terrorists

Bogdan Yaremenko, a deputy from the Servant of the People’s parliamentary faction and the head of the Verkhovna Rada’s international affairs committee, prepared a draft letter to 40 US congressmen who had previously called on US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo to include the Azov volunteer battalion on the list of terrorist organizations. According to Yaremenko, this is necessary to protect the "glorious combat unit."

“The letter to the US Congress contains a proposal to provide any necessary assistance in finding out objective and unbiased information about the Azov special forces,” Yaremenko wrote on Facebook.

He noted that the Ukrainian people's deputies cannot but respond to attempts to denigrate, according to him, one of the "most deserved and combat-ready units of the National Guard". The deputy added that the battalion was created by volunteers and participants of the Euromaidan in 2014.

“The text of the letter is open for signing for all members of the“ Servant of the People ”faction and representatives of other factions of the Verkhovna Rada. The signing and transmission of the letter to the American side will take place on Tuesday, October 29, "said the people's deputy.

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Recall, on October 16, 40 members of the US House of Representatives wrote a letter to the State Department, in which they called Azov “a well-known Ukrainian ultranationalist militarist organization that openly accepts neo-Nazis into its ranks.” They demanded an explanation from Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about why the unit is not included in the list of "foreign terrorist organizations."

The volunteer battalion was created in 2014 to participate in the hostilities in the Donbass. He almost immediately entered the official structure of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, which for the past five years has been headed by Arsen Avakov. The division consists mainly of members of the right-wing Ukrainian organizations. At the same time, the UN repeatedly recorded crimes committed by Azov fighters in southeastern Ukraine, including rape, abduction, torture, beating and robbery of civilians.

“The rampant radical right-wing extremism has spread far beyond the borders of Ukraine itself. Congress, apparently following the US intelligence agencies, is beginning to become aware of the threat posed by Azov and the Americans in contact with it. It is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore this danger, ”said Russian Ambassador to the United States Anatoly Antonov.

Meanwhile, the self-proclaimed Donetsk People’s Republic indicated that the Azov fighters were responsible for hundreds of war crimes in the Donbass. In particular, they created a "death camp" at the Mariupol airport, where they tortured and killed militias, according to the DPR.

“They have accounted for murders and torture, including civilians in the territory controlled by Kiev, whom the punitive suspected of treason. In fact, these are just people whose opinions about what is happening in the Donbass differed from them. The evidence of the war crimes of Azov was transferred to the DPR general prosecutor’s office. Even in Ukraine there are criminal cases against them, but they are not given a move due to the protection of the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov, ”the representative of the People’s Police of the DPR quotes RIA Novosti.

“The moment of truth for the Ukrainian leadership”

It should be noted that the Minister of Internal Affairs Arsen Avakov also spoke out in support of Azov. At a meeting with the deputy head of the US diplomatic mission in Ukraine, Christina Quinn, he called “shameful” reports that Nazi ideology was spreading among the personnel of this unit.

According to the head of the Ukrainian Ministry of Internal Affairs, this "information campaign" is aimed at discrediting "Azov", primarily, "in creating international partners of Ukraine", as well as creating a crisis in relations between Kiev and partners

“It is the combat effectiveness of the Azov special forces in protecting the state from military aggression that is the true reason for trying to stop it with another, hybrid, method ... Together we will repulse these dirty and dangerous methods,” Avakov said.

Earlier in Azov, the intention of American congressmen was described as an information attack on Ukraine.

Vladimir Olenchenko, a senior fellow at the Center for European Studies at the IMEMO RAS, in a conversation with RT also noted that, in fact, the Azov battalion is under the patronage of Arsen Avakov. According to the expert, the recognition of this military unit as terrorist will be reflected in a large circle of people, their social status and position in society.

“It is clear that the qualification of Azov as a radical and terrorist group and him (Avakov. - RT ) brings this line under, and then he must be qualified as an accomplice. Therefore, of course, he puts pressure on the government, the political leadership of the country, and it, in turn, passes. This is a moment of truth for the Ukrainian leadership. Either it dissociates itself from the radicals and this direction, or if it intercedes for them and seeks something, it recognizes that it is in solidarity with them, ”Olenchenko explained.

In turn, the head of the Ukrainian Analytical Center, economist Alexander Okhrimenko, noted that the country's president, Vladimir Zelensky, has not yet commented on the initiative of American congressmen. According to the expert, Avakov will try to prevent the recognition of “Azov” as a terrorist organization by all available means, and the current Ukrainian leader can take advantage of this.

“By and large, now it is in the interests of President Zelensky. Sooner or later, Zelensky will want his Interior Minister, who will be controlled by him, and this situation will play into his hands, ”added the source.