The Azov Brigade, known for its tenacious but ultimately unsuccessful defense of the Azovstal steel mill in Mariupol early in Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, is regarded as a particularly effective fighting force. But it was barred about a decade ago from using American arms because U.S. officials determined that some of its founders espoused racist, xenophobic and ultranationalist views, and U.N. human rights officials accused the group of humanitarian violations.
“After thorough review, Ukraine’s 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade passed Leahy vetting as carried out by the U.S. Department of State,” the agency said in a statement, referring to the “Leahy Law” that prevents U.S. military assistance from going to foreign units credibly found to have committed major human rights violations.
The State Department found “no evidence” of such violations, its statement says.
The brigade’s leadership says that it long ago shed those associations and that its commanders have fully turned over since that era.
It’s a whole lot of nothing. Technically it is supposed to check for torture, kidnappings, and murder of non-combatants. You know, all things we have evidence of Azov doing. They also passed “Israel” on the vetting.
Supposedly it prevents the US from providing aid to specific units of countries with oppressive regimes, which is the US’s favourite pasttime. It doesn’t even do that though, because the Secretary of Defense can just bypass it for “special circumstances” (read: anything he wants).
Even if it worked exactly like it was supposed to, it only prevents aid to specific brigades. Which means if the US gives aid to a different brigade and then it was passed to Azov, there are no violations.