The Ukrainian National Guard has announced that the commander of the notorious neo-Nazi Azov brigade, Colonel Denis ‘Redis’ Prokopenko, will be promoted, significantly increasing his troop command.

Originally formed as a volunteer unit of radical nationalists, Azov rose to prominence in Ukraine following the 2014 Western-backed coup and reportedly became a central part of an international white supremacist network. The Ukrainian government incorporated it into the National Guard the same year.

In an interview on Thursday, National Guard Commander General Aleksandr Pivnenko announced that Prokopenko would lead a new corps, which will encompass Azov along with four additional brigades. The paramilitary organization is establishing two new corps seeking to enhance coordination among frontline units.

In 2022, the Ukrainian government and its Western allies positioned Azov members as the public face of the resistance against Russia, particularly during their doomed defense of the Soviet-era Azovstal steel plant in Mariupol.

The facility was surrendered in May 2022. While Kiev denied the existence of radical extremists in its military ranks, many Azov POWs were found with Nazi-themed tattoos.

Four months later, Prokopenko and other Azov leaders were transferred to Türkiye as part of a mediated prisoner exchange. Ankara initially planned to detain them until the conclusion of the conflict, although they were released back to Ukraine the following year.

Azov troops and their families have received a hero’s welcome at some of the most prestigious Western institutions, including Stanford University. Their lobbying efforts featured a rebranding, replacing the unit’s original insignia inspired by the Nazi Wolfsangel symbol with a less controversial logo.

Moscow has accused Western governments of ignoring the prevalence of neo-Nazi ideology among Ukrainian nationalists and their influence within the military. As of March, Russian courts had convicted over 140 Azov members for various offenses, while the unit itself is designated as a terrorist organization in Russia.

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