Ukraine crisis: Inside the Mariupol base of the controversial Azov battalion

By Nicholas Lazaredes in Ukraine

Posted Fri 13 Mar 2015 at 5:24am

A recruitment poster for the Azov battalion reads "Dignity. Nation. Motherland.".(Vladimir Cheppel)

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The first thing you notice as you walk through the corridors of the Azov battalion's base in Mariupol are the swastikas.

There are many — painted on doors, adorning the walls and chalked onto the blackboards of this former school, now temporary headquarters for the Azov troops.

It is a confronting sight and when I query the young soldier assigned to show me around he is quick to correct me, pointing out that the symbol is in fact a "modified swastika" — more like the letter N crossed with a straight line.

When I point to another symbol of the Third Reich etched on the wall, that of Hitler's "SS", he simply shrugs and says: "We are nationalists, but we are not Nazis."

The Azov battalion is a highly controversial Ukrainian paramilitary group that has drawn much criticism for its links to the far right.

The imagery it has chosen to adopt hardly helps to allay concerns, but for my young guide it is a non-issue.

"Some journalists prefer to present us as Nazis. They look for any chance to discredit our regiment," he said.