OPINION: The Birth of Azov – Driven by Necessity, Courage, Honor and Sacrifice

Polemos — the embodiment of war

It is impossible to understand what Azov essentially is without knowing how many of its future fighters first encountered history, spent endless cold nights on the Maidans across Ukraine, and witnessed the senseless violence inflicted by the Berkut special police as the pro-Russian Yanukovych struggled to hold on to power.

Bloodier, more difficult, and darker times were ahead, but it was here that many of them developed a sense of responsibility for the future of their country, a willingness to endure hardship and to sacrifice everything for the sake of freedom, in defense of Ukraine's sovereignty and independence. 

No sooner had victory been achieved and with no time to understand what had just happened and, their role in the events of that crucial winter, Russia occupied Crimea and the terror of pro-Russian separatists in the east of Ukraine began.

The fighters felt they had no other option but to accept this challenge, take up arms, and go to defend freedom where Russia was intent on destroying it.

Who are Azov?

The first Azov volunteers in 2014 came from every walk of life: football fans, public figures, workers, journalists, former political prisoners of the Yanukovych regime. Many came from the eastern regions of Ukraine: Donetsk, Luhansk, Kharkiv, Zaporizhzhia. Most never thought that one day find they would find themselves at war; they had never held a weapon, nor served in the army, and did not know the basics of military operations. They were, however, all united by an indescribable but overpowering desire to defend Ukraine's freedom.

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The first Azov fighter was killed on Aug. 4, 2014, during the assault on terrorist positions in Maryinka. A political refugee from Russia named Andrey “Balagan” Grek. An opponent of the Putin regime, he came to Ukraine to seek shelter from political persecution. In Azov, he found the brotherhood of warriors defending true freedom, and it was within this unit that he sacrificed his life for freedom. His death immediately contradicted Russian propaganda that said Azov was all about ”russophobia” and “Nazism.”

Azov consisted of representatives from many different nationalities and religious beliefs, speaking several languages within the unit. This vividly demonstrated that Azov was built on the common desire for freedom, not some narrow track of ethnic nationalism. 

Azov was the first Ukrainian to implement NATO standards in its training for soldiers, NCOs, and officers, as well as in combat tactics, planning and organization.

This was at Azov’s own initiative, not as a directive from above. Its officers understood the need to develop every aspect of the unit’s activities to preserve the lives and health of its personnel as they predicted the large-scale war that was to come.

Defense of Mariupol and Azovstal

It was this preparation combined with the individual heroism of its fighters that enabled the Azov fighters, to defend the city for 86 days, 82 of them under full encirclement. Their stand gained precious time for Ukraine to regroup its forces, with less than one percent of the weapons, equipment, and manpower of the enemy. This incredible episode deserves and will surely receive in-depth study, and the making of documentaries and feature films.

One day the world will learn in detail how the Mariupol garrison battled the elite units of the Russian Army, managed to encircle the enemy forces while surrounded by a tight enemy ring. How the brave leaders of squads, platoons, companies, and battalions led their soldiers into battle always leading from the front.

Azov soldiers rescued civilians, gave their all, helped them during the carpet bombing by the Russians. How the breakthrough from the encirclement on the right bank of Mariupol to the Azovstal plant was made. How doctors in the bunkers of Azovstal, without the necessary equipment and medicine, saved the lives of seriously wounded soldiers. How a handful of desperate people with one-way tickets broke through to Mariupol on helicopters, wanting to reinforce Azov, wanting to stand shoulder to shoulder with them in this battle.

The triumph of the warrior spirit in the midst of hell - that was the defense of Mariupol. 

Azov’s raison d’etre

For years, Russian propaganda has worked to discredit Azov, accusing it of expounding a “neo-Nazi” political ideology which has been widely believed, not only in Russia, but also by many Westerners unfamiliar with the real situation. Propagandists deliberately overlook facts that prove the absurdity of their accusations resulting in a collection of speculations, lies and journalistic clichés that ignore reality.

Azov was always about people seeking freedom, regardless of their ethnic origin, political and religious beliefs, united around the idea of Ukraine as a land of true freedom – the epitome of the concept of a true republic, not as a form of government, but in its original, ancient meaning of “res publica,” a belief in the common thing/matter.

Cicero wrote that the republic is the possession of the people, but the people is not just any union of people; it is a union of people bound by agreement on matters of law and common interest. The republic, in this case, is a manifestation of a certain type of individual consciousness that direct influences the processes around it, active participation in the common project. Thus, the defense of Ukraine's freedom and the possibility of directly influencing the future of the country is precisely this common cause within the unit's activities.

From its earliest days, Azov has been a brotherhood in arms, a community of warriors united by a common code, with shared ideas of honor, ethics, with a common goal. This brotherhood is formed by each fighter’s conscious, voluntary decision to become part of something bigger than themselves.

Azov differs from other volunteer units as it goes beyond the boundaries of simple nationalism, which, at times, has exposed it to criticism within the country. Each fighter’s decision to avoid conflict based on language, ethnicity or religion has given birth to the Azov phenomenon of courage, resilience and determination that is now admired around the world.

Azov’s strength comes from the personal qualities and characteristics of each individual: their motivation, resilience, selflessness, desire to constantly improve their professional level, and willingness to sacrifice everything for the common cause. Any segregation of people that is not based on the internal constitution of the individual, but on predetermined characteristics, such as race, ethnicity, or gender, is considered not only wrong, but also harmful in Azov.

Currently around 900 fighters from the 12th Special Forces Azov Brigade remain in Russian captivity. For 2 years those who resisted for 86 days in Mariupol, carrying out the orders of the High Command of Ukraine, have been held in appalling conditions of captivity that are a direct threat not only to their health but also to their very lives. The release of all Azov prisoners is a categorical imperative for every Azov fighter. Without the return of the captives, Ukraine’s victory and the end of the war seem impossible.

The Olenivka atrocity

On the night of July 28-29, 2023 the Russians carried out destroyed a barracks room in Olenivka in which unarmed Azov prisoners slept, as a brutal reprisal against those who had resisted for so long.  An explosion, possibly of thermobaric weapons, killed more than 53 and wounded 130 Azov prisoners were wounded. For several hours medical personnel were prevented from reaching the scene, resulting in even more casualties. Russia cynically tried to blame Ukraine for attacking the barracks and has blocked independent investigation of the massacre to this day. The UN disbanded the mission to establish the facts of the attack “due to the lack of conditions for the mission's deployment on the ground.”

While the world may forget how the Russians, unable to defeat Azov on the battlefield, lacking honor and dignity, killed unarmed prisoners in their sleep. Azov remembers every one of its members who died that night – and swear that retribution is inevitable.

Azov fights on

Since August Azov has been holding one of the most difficult sectors of the front, the Serebrianka Forest, is another important milestone in Azov’s defense of Ukraine.

The experience gained here, and the price it pays every day to stop the enemy's advance leads to the emergence of new military talents and skills among the unit's fighters and commanders. The courage, bravery, determination, and ingenuity that have characterized Azov over more than a decade remain unchanged.

Most importantly, Azov has managed to preserve the motivation and sense of duty that drove its first volunteers into the whirlwind of the fight against tyranny where they remain at the epicenter of a fierce struggle for freedom. This is the key to understanding the Azov phenomenon. A key that will one day unlock all dungeons.

The views expressed in this opinion article are the author’s and not necessarily those of Kyiv Post.