Ukraine's Neo-Nazi Azov Battalion, Explained

Kimberly St. Julian Vernon, a Ph.D. student in history explains and goes over the history of the Azov Battalion, a far-right neo-Nazi group in Ukraine that has been marginalized by the majority of the Ukrainian people but absorbed into the Ukrainian national guard. The Majority Report discuss with Vernon how the far-Right is a problem across Eastern Europe, including Russia.

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[ritaferreira]

wow a host who let the guest speak for 5 minutes straight without interrupting and actually wanting to learn from them. refreshing

[ThePangeaArchivesInstitute]

4:27-4:34 You've no idea how many times I've seen this excuse of "there can't be Ukrainian nazis in the Ukrainian military because the government is lead by a Jew", as if there can't be a Jewish person using the Azov battalion in a strategic manner.

[boblester]

Then why are there countless videos about the Nazi issue in Ukraine going back years.

[Yes_Fantasy_Done]

Ukraine has been involved in or perpetrated many of the worst atrocities in human history. Ukraine lent over 160, 000 soldiers to take part in the sacking of Afghanistan where over 2 million civilians were butchered.

[rickyslick]

I wouldn't be surprised if the US trained and funded this group.

[aleksandr]

I think it is also important to say that these battalions became part of the regular army of Ukraine and were the most active troops used in the east of Ukraine in the battles against the Donetsk and Luhansk regions. These battalions were accused of killing and torturing local pro-Russian civilians in these regions. Just search on youtube "Москаляку на гилляку" (Russians to the gallows) and "Москалей на ножи" (Russians on knives). These are the most popular chants of these neo-Nazi battalions and they openly shout them in the streets of the cities. There is not only the Azov battalion, there is also: Right Sector, Tornado, Aidar, Donbass, Shakhtyorsk, Svoboda and probably many more. Right Sector (Правый сектор) is one of the main battalions.

[idanthyrsus]

Jewish funded and armed nazis. Fighting communists. Its a comic book movie. Where's red skull and hydra.

[mikeinmelbourne]

Missed the entire issue of the Ukrainian famine and the millions who died under the soviets. I do not dispute Ukranians involvement in the holocaust. I agree Azov is an issue

[contactron]

Kimberly St. Julian Vernon one of the best guests in a while, wish there was another hour or so of history on the topic.

[parrotschool]

All Eastern European countries have this problem. None of them has state-sponsored battalions, armed by the US and trained by NATO instructors, as Ukrainian "Azov" and "Aidar".

[colinwhitfield]

Wow. Kudos to Majority Report for actually covering this. Turns out the situation is layered nuanced and complex - as is all.

[sam-wwwk]

These "journalists" haven't heard of the Wager Group??

[j.h-jj]

I am not an expert on nazi ideology, but didn't the original nazis looked down on eastern Europeans? Why would people of eastern Europe be interested in an ideology that believe them to be subhuman?

[exiledfrommyself]

I see a whole lot of Putin apologists bringing up Nazi groups in Ukraine, but they never talk about far right Nazi groups in Russia.

[kevingarofalo]

I'm a jew. There are neonazis everywhere. While there are neonazis in the Azov battalion, being in the battalion doesn't mean you're a neonazi. Bandera wasn't pro nazi, he was anti Stalin. Millions of ukranians were killed by the soviets, anyone fighting against Stalin was his friend. He didn't apologize for his actions later because he would have taken nazi support against Stalin if he had to do it over again. A lot of his actions were not in support of nazis but to save ukrainians.

[krob]

My dad fights me to tell me that there were no Nazis in Ukraine, Im like ugh yes there are and there still there.

[JoshyStuart]

With respect to Sam saying "I believe ... NATO shouldn't have expanded... and whether it is needed at all"

I listened to Ezra Klein interview Fareed Zakaria on his podcast, and Fareed made a great point: you have to remember the context in which NATO was formed after WW2. eg France and Germany had been at it 3 times within like 80 years! So from that perspective NATO has absolutely worked! Europe was the most blood soaked continent on the planet, yet after NATO, it enjoyed a long period of relative peace and prosperity.

Then after the collapse of the USSR, all the former soviet countries were begging to be part of NATO because of their collective trauma from Russian invasion and subjugation over the decades and centuries. And again... it worked!! So saying "oh vulnerable countries shouldn't be afforded the same protection as I enjoy" from the comfort of a western democracy is a bit rich IMO. I agree that Bush painted an unnecessary target on Ukraine and Georgia, but Latvia, Estonia, Hungry, Poland etc have all prospered under NATO.

And we see now more than ever what kind of a deterrent NATO has been to Russian aggression.

[khsharpe]

this is not Whataboutism? Seriously? The subject title of your video is "Ukraine's Neo-Nazi Battalion Explained" - but at 7 minutes into the vid you seem to have spent more time badmouthing Russia and other European nations for having neo-Nazis there than attempting to explain the Asov Battalion. If that's not Whataboutism, what is?

I'm quitting now rather than wasting any more of my life listening to American cold war apologetic propaganda.

[ViraL_FootprinT.ex.e]

The globe in particular basically has been going through a nationalist fascist phase. From maga to Bolsonaro, to Poland, Russia... The ascension of Marin Le Pen.

And I agree with Sam about the number of people talking about Azov as a way to give the Russian some kind of pass *is* very limited. *But...* The amount of people deflecting legit arguments on lead ups to all of this by telling them that they're peddling "Russian propaganda" is out of control.

[Laudon]

A great explanation! thx so much Kimberly st. Julian Vernon!