Kenneth Glad
Military units are shaped by combat, politics, and public perception. Over the past decade, the Azov Brigade has moved from an improvised wartime formation to one of Ukraine’s most recognizable forces, while remaining the subject of international debate.
Azov emerged in May 2014 during the first phase of the war in eastern Ukraine, when volunteer units formed as Kyiv tried to contain Russian-backed separatist forces.
According to UNITED24 Media’, the unit began with only several dozen volunteers, many without formal military experience. It later expanded and was incorporated into Ukraine’s National Guard.
After Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, Azov grew again. By 2023, it had become a brigade-sized force, and Marchenko’s report says a larger corps structure was later built around people linked to the unit.
A disputed reputation
Azov’s combat record has long been tied to controversy over its early history and symbols.
Russian state media has repeatedly used the unit to support claims of extremism inside Ukraine.
Supporters of the brigade argue that such portrayals focus on the past rather than the current unit under Ukrainian state command.
In June 2024, the United States lifted restrictions that had blocked Azov from receiving American weapons and training. The State Department reviewed the current brigade and found no evidence of human rights violations.
The decision also weakened one of Moscow’s most persistent claims about the unit, including allegations of ties to neo-Nazi ideology.
Mariupol and Azovstal
Azov first became widely known in Ukraine after taking part in the recapture of Mariupol in June 2014.
The unit later gained global attention during the 2022 siege of the city, when Ukrainian defenders held out for nearly three months under encirclement.
The Azovstal steel plant became their final stronghold. UNITED24 Media described high-risk helicopter missions that delivered supplies, evacuated wounded troops, and brought in reinforcements.
When the defense of Azovstal ended, about 2,500 Ukrainian service members from different units entered Russian captivity. Roughly 1,400 were identified as Azov fighters.
A September 2022 exchange brought back 108 brigade members, including commanders. Azov commander Denys Prokopenko returned to Ukraine in July 2023.
“We will still have our say on the battlefield,” Prokopenko said.
Many released fighters later returned to service after recovery, while Ukraine continued efforts to bring home those still held.
Modern warfare
Azov developed structured recruitment, training, tactical medicine, battlefield coordination, and noncommissioned officer programs between 2015 and 2018.
The brigade now includes infantry, artillery, armor, drones, reconnaissance, logistics, and medical teams.
UNITED24 Media also tells of battlefield medical innovations, including a case in which donor blood was delivered by drone to a frontline position.
Such accounts are difficult to verify independently in real time, but they reflect the changing nature of the war.
Azov units have fought in heavily contested areas including Kreminna, Toretsk, Terny, Serebryansky forest, and the Dobropillia direction.
The brigade helped slow Russian advances in some sectors and later took part in counterattacks.
The unit also runs a support network for wounded personnel, including rehabilitation, psychological care, prosthetics support, family assistance, and employment after injury.
The brigade’s motto states: “Fire melts metal into steel. Struggle melts a people into a nation.”
Today, Azov remains both a frontline military formation and a political symbol in Ukraine’s war against Russia.
Sources: UNITED24 Media
