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US apparently assisted Azov militants before ban was lifted — portal

The conclusion is based on indirect statements made by US officials and photographs published by the military unit itself

NEW YORK, June 23. /TASS/. The US administration apparently assisted Ukraine’s nationalist Azov brigade (designated as a terrorist organization and outlawed in Russia) before a relevant ban was lifted, The Intercept news portal reported.

The conclusion is based on indirect statements made by US officials and photographs published by the neo-Nazi military unit itself.

Among other things, the portal refers to photos, published by Azov and showing its senior member receiving a certificate of completing a training course by the Special Operations Command Europe from men in US military uniform. The US Department of State and the Pentagon refused to comment on whether it was legal to train Azov members before the ban was officially lifted.

Apart from that, a former US Department of State official said that as far as he knew, the unit had been eligible for aid since at least 2022.

Earlier, the Washington Post quoted a statement from the US State Department, which said that the US administration had approved the transfer of US weapons to the Ukrainian nationalist Azov regiment. According to an excerpt of the statement cited by the newspaper, the unit had undergone a "thorough review" under the Leahy Law, which prevents the United States from providing military assistance to units of foreign troops found to have committed human rights abuses. US authorities have "no evidence" of such violations, the statement said.

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