The Washington Post reported last night that the State Department has decided that the Azov Brigade, now supposedly fully integrated into the Ukrainian military, can now receive American military support without any restrictions. The Post notes that the ban on the supply of U.S. weapons to the Azov Brigade was imposed about 10 years ago, because U.S. officials determined that some of its founders espoused racist, xenophobic, and ultranationalist views, and UN 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 Department 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. It is named for former Sen. Patrick J. Leahy (D-VT), who wrote the legislation.
