https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Azov_Brigade#Background_and_founding,_February%E2%80%93April_2014
The Azov Battalion (батальйон «Азов») was the successor of the Black Corps, a (Pro-Ukraine) Volunteer Battalion formed by far right activist Andriy Biletsky as a paramilitary wing of the Patriot of Ukraine movement (a subsidiary of the Social-National Assembly), it was formed after the Black Corps were given legal recognition as part of the Ukrainian Special Tasks Patrol Police.
Biletsky left the Battalion in October 2014 to participate in parliamentary elections, the Battalion was later inducted into the Ukrainian National Guard as the Azov Regiment in November 2014, it was later reformed as the Azov Brigade in 2023.
After the 2022 invasion of Ukraine, veterans of the battalion formed various new branches of Azov, these include:
- Azov-Dnipro (later merged into the 3rd Brigade)
- Azov-Kyiv (later reformed as the Azov-SSO, became the 3rd Separate Assault Brigade of the Ukrainian Army)
- Kraken Regiment
- Lubart Brigade (later merged into the central Azov Brigade)
In May 2014 an engineering group known as the Azov Engineering Group was formed to assist the Battalion, before splintering off as the Arey Engineering Group.
The Battalion was considered by some researchers to be a military wing of the Azov Movement, but the Battalion itself has disputed this term (see the Azov Movement page for details).
The OUN Battalion was also a component of Azov before moving to merge with the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps:
As of the summer of 2014, the largest separate unit of the OUN was part of it battalion «Azov». It was «Azov» that was considered by the OUN as the base site for the creation of a separate OUN battalion — «Azov-2» («Azov-Sich»). After refusing state registration, the OUN Branch decided to join the battalion to the Ukrainian Volunteer Corps «of the Right Sector». The name of the battalion was officially changed — from «Nizhin» to «OUN» Battalion.
Members of Ukrainian National Assembly - Ukrainian People’s Self-Defense and Wotanjugend (Russian) have fought as part of the battalion:
After Russia’s transition to an open, albeit undeclared, offensive in the spring of 2014, UNSO residents go east to the eastern territories of Ukraine as part of battalions «DUK», «Aidar», «Azov», «Donbas». . It was also formed UNSO volunteer battalion, which has become part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Since October 2014, the fighters of the battalion have been performing combat missions in the ATO zone near Mariupol and in other hot spots.
In the spring of 2014, with the beginning russian-ukrainian war, some members of WotanJugend came to Ukraine to fight as part of Ukrainian military formations, in particular battalion «Azov». . Later, in 2015, two leaders of the movement, Oleksiy Lyovkin and Ivan Mikheev finally moved to Ukraine, where they remain to this day5.
The Battalion was also affiliated with Oleh Liashko of the Radical Party of Oleh Liashko, and some veterans of the Battalion later joined the Party as representatives.
Russian Neo-Nazi Sergei ‘Boatsman’ Korotkikh was a member of the Battalion in its early stages.
Serhii Tamarin was also a member of the unit and its predecessor formation the Black Corps, he went on to become the commander of another unit known as the Eastern Corps Company. The political wing of Eastern Corps, the Eastern Corps Movement, also supported the Black Corps and its successor units:
Activities
Members of the public organization took part in providing assistance to the Ukrainian security forces , which restrained the armed aggression of Russia in the east of Ukraine . In particular, they provided assistance to the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, the “Eastern Corps” company and the “Azov” NGU regiment .
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