U.S. revokes ban on Azov Brigade to use American weapons

That’s according to The Washington Post, referring to the U.S. Department of State, Ukrinform reports.

"After thorough review, Ukraine’s 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade passed Leahy vetting as carried out by the U.S. Department of State," the publication wrote, quoting a statement from the State Department.

Legislation, named after Senator Patrick Leahy, prohibits the transfer of U.S. military aid to foreign units that have committed serious human rights abuses.

State Department officials emphasized that they had found "no evidence" of such violations.

At the same time, the State Department stopped short of specifying when exactly the ban was lifted, and whether American weapons had previously been delivered to Azov.

It should be recalled that about a decade ago, Azov was banned from using American weapons, as official concerns were voiced in Washington at the time that some of the unit's founders held racist, xenophobic and ultra-nationalist views. These claims echoed the narrative spread by the Kremlin propaganda aimed at compromising Ukraine’s defenders.

Photo: Ivan Stanislavskyi, lb.ua