Russian propaganda has a strong influence around the world, and unfortunately, the United States is no exception. For Washington, Russian propaganda has long been a domestic security issue. With large financial capital, Moscow spreads pro-Russian narratives through fake news, bribing journalists and opinion leaders, its own English-language media, bots and fake public profiles on social media, and many other hybrid forms of propaganda.
For example, in 2023 CNN stated that based on US intelligence reports, the FSB systemically communicates anti-Ukrainian and favorable to the Kremlin agenda through private relationships between Russian agents and high-ranking influential US officials. In 2016, the Americans accused the Russian government of interfering with the US presidential election.
The Russians also actively use bots, social media groups, public profiles and ads (especially on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram) to throw in controversial claims that divide the American public. This has been repeatedly reported in the US media. Bots and fake accounts publish provocative comments and posts on social and political issues without any specific viewpoint. Some bots, for example, may be in favor of one stance, while others may support a different one. The topics covered by the Russian bots and public profiles mainly concern LGBT, racial issues, immigration, and gun rights. In addition to dividing the American public and creating additional tension around certain topics and issues, these accounts can be used to directly manipulate public opinions and influence the election results. Thus, the owners of these fake accounts can publish certain posts and then, by monitoring interactions such as likes, comments, or simply views, collect information about the real U.S. Facebook users and potential voters. This information can then be used to create databases for targeted advertising, resulting in those particular social media users seeing ads close to their political preferences. Interactions with such posts have previously been estimated in millions of reactions, comments and likes.
In the United States, Russian propaganda about Ukraine has dramatically increased after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Russian lobby in the US promotes the idea that Russia cannot be defeated, and that for the sake of peace it is necessary to return to negotiations, while the cost of this war is too high for US citizens.
In this context, the Ukrainian army, which is deterring Russian aggression and liberating Ukrainian territories from occupation, has become a particular target of Russian provocations. The vilification of this force in the eyes of the Americans, as well as its weakening, is the most important task for the entire propaganda machine of the Russian Federation, as it can help Moscow defeat the Ukrainians.
HERE IS A DETAILED ANALYSIS OF THE MAIN MYTHS ABOUT AZOV AND A DETAILED RATIONALE THAT DEBUNKS THEM.
Due to the high motivation and professional training of Azov fighters, the unit became the main target of Russian propaganda. Russian special services built a myth about Azov’s so-called “neo-Nazism” inside the Russian Federation and around the world. They spread false information, manipulated facts and bribed journalists to publish made-to-order articles. In complex, these
actions have led to consequential results: many myths constructed by the Kremlin propaganda about Azov have taken root in the minds of people in the Russian Federation and around the world.
The Azov Battalion was founded in 2014 as a response to the military invasion of eastern Ukraine by the Russian forces. This volunteer unit accepted into its ranks anyone who was willing and able to defend Ukrainians and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. In October 2014, Andrii Biletskyi, a controversial figure and the first commander of Azov, left the unit and engaged in political activity. Since then, Azov has been actively developing, cleansing itself of subcultural elements and introducing professional NATO standards in the training of its fighters.
For 8 years Azov fought in the east of Ukraine, taking part in the defensive and offensive actions. In 2022, the Azov troops selflessly defended Mariupol, which was surrounded by Russian troops, despite the enemy’s advantage in manpower and military equipment. After the Ukrainian General Staff ordered them to lay down their arms, the entire Mariupol garrison, including Azov, went into Russian captivity.
Throughout the unit’s history, representatives of different ethnicities and religions have served in it: Georgians, Armenians, Jews, Russians, Belarusians, Crimean Tatars, Greeks. Georgian Giorgi Kuparashvili, who played a key role in the creation of Azov, served in the unit for 9 years, in 2022 took part in the defense of Mariupol, was seriously wounded and evacuated by a helicopter.
MYTH 1: AZOV BRIGADE FIGHTERS SHARE XENOPHOBIC, RACIST AND SEXIST VIEWS
Azov combat medic Asan “Hasan” Isenadzhiev is a Crimean Tatar who practices Islam and is known for his address to Turkish President Recep Erdogan from the Azovstal plant during its siege by Russian troops.
Women also serve in the Azov Brigade. Svitlana Vorova has been serving in Azov since 2020. Her son, an Azov fighter, died in combat in 2015. Svitlana decided that she should continue the mission of her eldest son. She took part in the defense of Mariupol and was held in Russian captivity for 11 months.
During the defense of Azovstal, Azov fighter Michael, an ethnic Greek, appealed to the Greek parliament to help Ukraine and the defenders of Mariupol. He is currently in Russian captivity. He told Parliament:
My grandfather fought in World War II against the Nazis. He was injured three times. I was born in Mariupol and I take part in the defense of the city from the Russian Nazis. I will not talk about the difficulties we have in defense, participating in the Ukrainian defense through the Azov Regiment. This is my debt to my city, my debt as a man and I have to talk about the catastrophic conditions in which Greek Mariupol finds itself,
From the very beginning of Azov’s existence, ethnic Jews have served in its ranks. One of the most famous Azov fighters of Jewish origin is Ruslan Serbov with the call sign “David”, which directly refers to the figure of the biblical King of Judea and Israel. Azov fighter “David” visited
Israel in November 2022 for rehabilitation purposes due to the amputation of his leg as a result of injuries sustained in the battles for Mariupol. David also has a brother, Arthur “Ara” Serbov. He took part in combat operations in the ATO zone in Eastern Ukraine from 2014 to 2018. After that, he served in the French Foreign Legion from 2018 to 2022. Following the start of a full-scale invasion of the Russian Federation in February 2022, he returned to fight for Ukraine and joined Azov. In November 2023, he was seriously wounded.
MYTH 2: AZOV BRIGADE FIGHTERS HAVE ANTI-SEMITIC VIEWS
In 2016, Viacheslav Likhachev, a well-known political scientist of Jewish origin and researcher of the ideology and activities of modern far-right movements in Russia and Ukraine, said: “It should be clearly understood: there is no “neo-Nazi Ukrainian militia” now. “Azov” is a regular military unit subordinate to the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine. It is neither an irregular unit nor a political group. Its commanders and fighters individually may have personal political views, but as an armed unit, Azov is part of the Ukrainian Defence Forces system.” He also added that it was necessary to clearly distinguish between Azov and political projects linked to its former commander (meaning Azov’s first commander Andrii Biletskiy).
During the defense of Azovstal in the spring of 2022, Azov’s deputy commander Sviatoslav Palamar repeatedly went live on broadcasts with various Israeli media outlets and gave comments to Israeli journalists about what was happening in Mariupol, providing accurate information about the Russians’ crimes in the city.
In 2022, during the siege of the Azovstal plant by Russian troops, Chief Rabbi of Ukraine Moshe Reuven Asman appealed to the Israeli Knesset to evacuate the Azov fighters to Israel or to a third state. He has also personally met with Azov fighters on several occasions, thanking them for their service in Ukraine.
Israeli businessman and philanthropist Leonid Nevzlin publicly supports Azov and financially contributes to the unit.
The head of the United Jewish Community of Ukraine, Rabbi Yakov Dov Blaich, has said that he does not believe in the existence of neo-Nazis in Azov.
Bernard-Henri Lévy, a French philosopher of Jewish origin, has repeatedly and publicly expressed support for Azov and insisted that he knows from personal encounters with the fighters that there is no anti-Semitism within the unit. Lévy traveled to the hot spots on the frontlines in Ukraine and filmed two documentaries: “Why Ukraine?”, released on June 28, 2022, and “Slava Ukraini” (Glory to Ukraine).
In December 2022, Azov Brigade officer Ilia Samoilenko visited Israel. He held a number of meetings with Israeli politicians (such as Knesset member Naama Lazimi), IDF soldiers, and local pro-Ukrainian activists.
The symbol of Azov has always had a single meaning — National Idea. These two words abbreviate the combination of letters “N” and “I”, depicted on the emblem of the unit. The National Idea for the Azov fighters implies a militant devotion to the Ukrainian people and
willingness to sacrifice their own health and even their lives for the well-being and safety of Ukrainians. Nation in this context is not interpreted in some biological sense, which is confirmed by the presence of representatives of different ethnic groups in the ranks of the unit. Azov’s nationalism was structured around the value of a civil nation and its political freedoms: democracy, pluralism, and tolerance.
MYTH 3: SINCE 2014, FIGHTERS OF THE AZOV BRIGADE HAVE BEEN PERSECUTING RUSSIAN-SPEAKING CIVILIANS IN THE OCCUPIED TERRITORIES OF DONETSK AND LUHANSK REGIONS
Azov is the ultimate proof of the artificial nature of the conflict in eastern regions of Ukraine initiated by Russian special services in 2014. Azov’s personnel comes from all parts of Ukraine. Brigade commander Denys Prokopenko was born in Kyiv, chief of staff Bohdan Krotevych is a Crimean, and deputy brigade commander Sviatoslav Palamar is from Lviv. Many Azov residents were born in the eastern regions of Ukraine: Mariupol, Donetsk and Kharkiv. For many Azov residents, Russian is their native language, but this in no way contradicts their patriotism, love for Ukraine and sense of their own identity. In 2014, it was these people who became the backbone for the creation of Azov, as the Russian army occupied their hometowns.
The Ukrainian language endured several centuries of real oppression when the Russian Empire banned not only the publication of books in it, but also the use of Ukrainian both in school and in public life. In addition, Russian remained a privileged language in both the Russian Empire and the USSR. That is why many Ukrainians have become Russified over several generations.
Political philosopher and professor Francis Fukuyama, President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders and wife of the Azov Brigade commander, Lieutenant Colonel Denys “Redis” Prokopenko, Kateryna Prokopenko, Deputy President of the Association of Families of Azovstal Defenders Yulia Fedosiuk, and Azov Brigade fighter Arsenii “Process” Fedosiuk during a joint speech at Stanford University. June, 2023
Azov is not listed as a terrorist organization in the United States. Azov is a legitimate part of the Ukrainian army and is a unit of the National Guard of Ukraine.
The well-known American historian, Yale University professor Timothy Snyder, who specializes in the history of Eastern Europe and, in particular, Ukraine and Russia, noted:
The Ukrainian language endured several centuries of real oppression when the Russian Empire banned not only the publication of books in it, but also the use of Ukrainian both in school and in public life. In addition, Russian remained a privileged language in both the Russian Empire and the USSR. That is why many Ukrainians have become Russified over several generations.
MYTH 4: THE SYMBOL OF THE AZOV BRIGADE HAS NEO-NAZI IMPLICATIONS
Azov started its operation as a volunteer unit. In 2014, amid the chaos and surprise of an attack from the Russian Federation, the selection criteria was not regulated and strict. Azov recruited anyone who was ready to defend the country with a weapon in their arms. In this regard, some people with radical political views and outlooks joined Azov. As soon as Azov got on the rails of
development and discipline, such people were dismissed from the unit, as any form of discrimination or hate speech is unacceptable for the regiment. It is important to note that those people with unacceptable positions for the unit did not commit any crimes against any individual anyway.
MYTH 5: NEO-NAZIS SERVE IN AZOV
Viacheslav Likhachev, a well-known political scientist of Jewish origin and researcher of the ideology and activities of modern far-right movements in Russia and Ukraine, notes:
There were some individuals with neo-Nazi background and Far Right views among the people who founded The Azov Battalion in the very beginning in 2014, though even not all the founders had such a background. For example, among the first members of Azov there were activists from the AutoMaidan volunteer groups and many Jews (including at least one Israeli citizen). Most of the soldiers with far-right background left the regiment by the end of 2014. The rest of the far-right radicals who clearly articulated their views were discharged in 2017 by the order from the new commanders of the Regiment. As of today, there are absolutely no grounds for accusations that neo-Nazis serve in the Azov Regiment.
Now, same as for the past 9 years, it is forbidden in Azov to use any Nazi and fascist symbols on badges, tattoos, clothing, flags, etc.
There were some individuals with neo-Nazi background and Far Right views among the people who founded The Azov Battalion in the very beginning in 2014, though even not all the founders had such a background. For example, among the first members of Azov there were activists from the AutoMaidan volunteer groups and many Jews (including at least one Israeli citizen). Most of the soldiers with far-right background left the regiment by the end of 2014. The rest of the far-right radicals who clearly articulated their views were discharged in 2017 by the order from the new commanders of the Regiment. As of today, there are absolutely no grounds for accusations that neo-Nazis serve in the Azov Regiment.
Azov is a military unit that has no ideological attachment to any political movement. No official statements of the unit have declared any commitment to the neo-Nazi ideas.
Ukraine is a post-colonial territory, which for centuries was forcibly incorporated into the Russian Empire. In order to unify the population, the Russian Empire authorities destroyed the cultural heritage of the countries it occupied, banned national languages and imposed the Russian language on all people living within the borders of its territories.
The USSR, which succeeded the Russian Empire, continued the same policy of oppressing peoples and their identities to consolidate its own tyranny. The Soviet Union exterminated national elites, censored culture and education, and created narratives convenient to itself. Because of that, a large number of people in Ukraine speak Russian, which is actively used by the Kremlin propaganda.
The military invasion in 2014, like the full-scale aggression in 2022, was justified by “protecting the rights of Ukraine’s Russian-speaking population”. This myth is paired with the Russian propaganda narrative that the western part of Ukraine has a feud with the eastern part.
MYTH 6: AZOV FIGHTERS GET TATTOOS WITH RUNES BECAUSE THEY ARE NAZIS
Moreover, historically, the Vikings and their culture are directly related to the history of Kyivan Rus’, a medieval state that occupied the territories of modern Ukraine, Belarus, Russia and the Baltic States, with its capital in Kyiv. The first princes of this state were the Vikings Rurik, Askold, Dir, Igor and Olga.
The approach to such symbolism depends, first of all, on the context in which this or that symbol or mythological character is placed. Thus, modern culture actively uses characters from ancient Germanic myths. Canadian singer Grimes,
The fantasy genre of modern art also actively exploits runic writing, often drawing inspiration for stories in ancient mythologies. In the Marvel universe there is a story of a god of Germanic-Scandinavian mythology Thor, whose hammer, Mjolnir, is one of the symbols used by some representatives of right-wing ideology. However, no one would think of accusing the creators of Marvel comics and films of neo-Nazism because of their use of a character from an ancient Scandinavian myth and his attributes.
Azov is a military unit within the National Guard of Ukraine, which obeys the orders of the General Staff of Ukraine. In the entire history of Azov’s existence, there is not a single proven situation of disobedience or sabotage of orders of the Ukrainian General Staff by the Azov troops.
MYTH 7: AZOV IS RECOGNIZED AS A TERRORIST ORGANIZATION IN THE WESTERN WORLD
Delegations comprising Azov representatives have made two business visits to the US in 2022 and 2023. Azov members Georgiy Kuparashvili, Vladyslav Zhaivoronok and Arsenii Fedosiuk met with representatives of Congress and Senate of both parties, major international human rights organizations, think tanks, US military veterans and journalists.
Michael McFaul, a professor at Stanford University and former US Ambassador to Russia, participated in a meeting of Azov soldiers, defenders of Mariupol, with university students in October 2022.
In addition, the Azov representatives spoke at Stanford University with the renowned American philosopher Francis Fukuyama. Fukuyama subsequently has publicly supported Azov in his tweets.
John Spencer, a renowned American military expert and Chair of Urban Warfare Studies at the Modern War Institute, actively supports the Azov Brigade on his social media platforms and has recorded a series of podcasts with the brigade’s fighters.
In 2022, the American Meta Platforms removed Azov from the lists of blocked organizations. This was announced by the Minister of Digital Transformation Mykhailo Fedorov after a meeting with the company’s President of Global Affairs Nick Clegg and Vice President for Content Policy Monica Bickert. Azov now has verified accounts on Facebook and Instagram.
Rallies in support of Azov’s prisoners of war, as well as rallies dedicated to the victims of the terrorist attack in Olenivka, gather a large number of participants in many US cities, including not only representatives of the Ukrainian community, but also Americans with no connection to Ukraine, who often have different political views.
Moreover, there are American citizens serving in the 12th Special Forces Brigade Azov of the National Guard of Ukraine. One of them — the U.S. Army Marine Corps veteran and current staff sergeant of one of the Azov companies, call sign “Frodo” fights side by side with Ukrainians against the Russian invaders and publicly speaks out about his motivation to join the unit and fight Russian aggression far from his home, as well as debunks common myths about Azov constructed by Kremlin propaganda.
During the 9 years of the Russian-Ukrainian war, independent international organizations and monitoring groups have not recorded any war crimes committed by representatives of Azov. Accusations of such crimes are not supported by facts or evidence.
MYTH 8: AZOV SOLDIERS COMMITTED WAR CRIMES AGAINST CIVILIANS AND PRISONERS OF WAR
This myth has been constructed by Russian propaganda with the inherent cynicism of the Putin regime with one main goal: to accuse Ukrainians, without any proof, of what Russian servicemen commit themselves.
Moreover, many monitoring missions have discontinued their operations in Ukraine shortly after the start of the full-scale Russian invasion. OSCE has discontinued its operations on 31 March 2022. Therefore, all Russian media accusations about alleged war crimes committed by the Azov soldiers have no factual backing from an independent third party i.e. a special monitoring mission.
On the night of 28-29 July 2022, Russians blew up the barracks with 198 Azov prisoners of war, blaming the Ukrainian side for the shelling. 53 people were killed and the rest were wounded to
varying degrees of severity. The American Institute for the Study of War (ISW) denies the possibility that the barracks was shelled from the outside and suggests that the explosion took place internally. Representatives also claim that the explosion was not the result of a HIMARS missile strike. Russian authorities did not allow representatives of independent organizations and media to the scene of the incident to investigate what had happened.
Runic symbolism is used by hundreds of thousands of people around the world. Hitler and the monstrous actions of the regime created by him do not have a monopoly on the use of these symbols. Runes — the traditional writing of the ancient Germanic tribes, used in a large part of European territory. Tattoos with runes are nothing more than an exploitation of the aesthetics of
a certain historical period in Europe, which is associated with the revered qualities of valor, courage, bravery, fearlessness and willingness to die in battle. Viking warrior traditions influenced the further European military culture, in which to this day soldiers in different countries of the world find motifs close to their world views. In addition to tattoos of runes, military personnel often take their call signs, referring to Scandinavian mythology: names of gods, heroes, great warriors, mythological creatures or names of Scandinavian weapons.
MYTH 9: AZOV IS A PARAMILITARY ENTITY BEYOND THE CONTROL OF THE CENTRAL GOVERNMENT OF UKRAINE
In 2023, during his diplomatic visit to Turkey, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky solely held talks with Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the return of Azov commanders from Turkey to Ukraine.
In 2023, the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine Ihor Klymenko repeatedly personally awarded Azov fighters with state and departmental awards, as well as handguns awarded for service*. 6 representatives of Azov were honored with the highest state award — the title of the Hero of Ukraine. The Gold Star Order, which is awarded to those who received this title, is personally awarded by the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
*Handguns are illegal in Ukraine, except for target shooting, those who hold concealed carry permits, and handguns awarded for service.