US congressmen demand to add Ukrainian Azov regiment to the list of terrorist organizations

40 members of the US House of Representatives signed an appeal to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo demanding that the Azov regiment and two right-wing organizations in Europe be added to the list of foreign terrorist organizations.

Photo: azov.org.ua

This is stated in a letter published on the website of the congressman from New York State Max Rose, who is the initiator of the appeal. In addition to Rose, the appeal was signed by 39 congressmen from different American states, all of them belong to the Democratic Party, writes Voice of America.

“Today, if an American citizen pledges allegiance to the Islamic State and spreads their message of terror, the government has several tools to counter the threat. However, if that same American citizen pledges allegiance to a violent white extremist group abroad and spreads their terrorist rhetoric, the federal government does not have access to the same tools,” the letter states.

The list of foreign terrorist organizations requiring Azov to be included includes ISIS, Al-Qaeda, Hamas, Hezbollah, Boko Haram and others. Among the European organizations on the list are the IRA (Irish Republican Army) and ETA (a terrorist organization advocating the independence of the Basque Country).

The Azov Battalion is a well-known ultra-nationalist police organization in Ukraine that openly invites neo-Nazis into its ranks... In the group's relatively short history, the UN has documented human rights violations and cases of torture. Despite these facts, according to the FBI, Azov has been recruiting, radicalizing and training American citizens for years,” the congressmen write in their appeal.

They also talk about a connection between Azov and the terrorist who carried out the shooting in the city of Christchurch in New Zealand in March 2019.

On the subject: 'No surrender!': Rallies against ceasefire in the Donbass took place in Ukraine and the USA

“In his manifesto, the shooter mentioned that he trained with the Azov battalion in Ukraine and constantly wore a symbol associated with them. Both shooters in Poway, California, and El Paso, Texas, said they were directly affected by the Christchurch attack. The connection between Azov and terrorist attacks in America is obvious,” American lawmakers say.

In addition to Azov, congressmen are asking to add the right-wing radical organizations Nordic Resistance Movement from Sweden and National Action from Great Britain to the list of terrorists.

What are the criteria for inclusion in the list of the State Department? Foreign organizations that are involved or intend to join terrorism pose a threat to US citizens or to national security, international relations or the economic interests of the United States.

Photo: azov.org.ua

The initiator of the appeal, Congressman Max Rose, wrote on Twitter: “Violent white nationalist groups meet all the State Department criteria for inclusion in the list of foreign terrorist organizations, but for some reason the State Department refuses to designate such groups as terrorists (which they are), preventing the opportunity law enforcement to protect us."

In 2018, the US Congress prohibited the use of funds from US military aid to Ukraine to “arm, train or otherwise support” the Azov Regiment.

The history of “Azov” through the eyes of Ukrainians was told by the news agency UNIAN.

On May 5, 2014, under the leadership of former political prisoner Andrei Beletsky, the Volunteer Battalion was founded, and now the Separate Special Forces Detachment of the National Guard of Ukraine “Azov”, also known as the “Azov” Regiment.

On the subject: #KyivNotKiev: Washington Post changes the spelling of the capital of Ukraine, New York Times - refuses

It was based on members of two public organizations: “Automaidan”, as well as the nationalist organization “Patriot of Ukraine” founded and headed by Andrei Beletsky. From the moment of its founding, the battalion’s fighters, without military training or experience in combat operations, began to carry out combat missions - in the conditions of a “hybrid war”, patrol the territory around Mariupol and carry out reconnaissance operations.

At the beginning of May, the battalion began to directly participate in hostilities, repelling attacks by sabotage groups in the vicinity of Mariupol. "Azov" quickly became the most combat-ready formation. Throughout May 2014, the battalion cleared the executive committee of the Torez City Council of the Donetsk region from militants and stormed the transshipment base of Russian terrorists, set up at the dacha of Alexander Yanukovych in the village of Urzuf.

On June 12, soldiers of the battalion detained one of the leaders of the “DPR” terrorists, Alexander Fomenko, in Mariupol, and the next day, together with other volunteer battalions and units of the National Guard and the Armed Forces of Ukraine, they liberated Mariupol from militants. Azov continued to destroy enemy checkpoints, cutting off the supply of weapons and ammunition and capturing militants and terrorist leaders.

Azov fighters were among those who made their way into the city at the beginning of the Ilovaisk Cauldron and gained a foothold on the outskirts of Ilovaisk. After this operation, Azov fighters, together with units of the Ukrainian Armed Forces, defended the approaches to Mariupol.

Photo: azov.org.ua

On September 17, 2014, by order of the Minister of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, the Azov battalion was reorganized and expanded into a regiment with the same name. Andrei Beletsky remained the regiment commander. In October, a decision was made to transfer the regiment to the National Guard of Ukraine, which made it possible to provide the unit with special staffing and training of its fighters, to begin forming its staff and reserve, and also to transfer military equipment to it. At the same time, an artillery division and a tank unit appeared in the unit.

On February 10, 2015, “Azov” during the Shirokino operation liberated 6 settlements and took control of strategic heights, which made it impossible to shell Mariupol, it is said https://www.izakayasushilounge.com "Azov". Subsequently, the regiment held back the advance of the militants in this direction, until in August 2016, by order of the command, it was withdrawn from the front line to its location in the Zaporozhye region.

At the beginning of 2019, fighters of the Azov regiment returned to the front lines of the war for the independence of Ukraine and are carrying out combat missions in the Joint Forces operation zone according to the orders of the high command. According to the Azov men themselves, the regiment’s combat capability is at a high level, and they are “ready to fully demonstrate it to the enemy.”

Read also on ForumDaily:

#KyivNotKiev: Washington Post changes the spelling of the capital of Ukraine, New York Times - refuses

Came to surrender: another Ukrainegate suspect arrested at New York airport

A director from the United States made a film about the contribution of Ukrainian refugees to the development of America

Our borsch: how the Russian Foreign Ministry used the Ukrainian dish for military propaganda of the Russian Federation

Do you want more important and interesting news about life in the USA and immigration to America? — support us donate! Also subscribe to our page Facebook. Select the “Priority in display” option and read us first. Also, don't forget to subscribe to our РєР ° РЅР ° Р »РІ Telegram  and Instagram- there is a lot of interesting things there. And join thousands of readers ForumDaily New York — there you will find a lot of interesting and positive information about life in the metropolis.