Azov battalion spearheads unity march to ‘cleanse’ Kyiv streets of past communist processions
Participants hope to create new traditions to mark Unity Day
Ukraine’s Azov battalion, once dubbed the country’s ‘greatest weapon’, has spearheaded a Unity Day march in Kyiv. Chanting nationalist slogans, dozens of people joined the procession through the Ukrainian capital’s historic center.
Oleksiy Kopyshynskiy, Head of Ukrainian Alliance of Fighters and Volunteers of ATO: “On this day we want to show that Ukrainians need to unite because together we are undefeatable. We also want to honor those who are defending the independence of our country.”
One Azov member tells us by lighting flares and marching through the center, they’re symbolically stamping out echoes of Ukraine’s Soviet past.
Serhiy Filimonov, Azov Battalion Civilian Corps: “Fire represents the act of cleansing. For many years on these streets Communists would stage marches holding their red flags. So now we’re walking the same streets to cleanse them from that.”
Unity Day has been marked In Ukraine since 1999. Despite the holiday being relatively young some believe marking it with a march through Kyiv could become a new tradition.
Watch also 30-meter Ukrainian flag unfurled in Kyiv for Unity Day
Formerly a volunteer formation, The Azov battalion is now part of the National Guard. It is infamous for stoking nationalist sentiment. It has been a reliable force in Ukraine’s fight against a Russian-backed insurgency in the east.
Serhiy Filimonov, Azov Battalion Civilian Corps: “We don’t expect any provocations in the capital today because nobody is going to go against the nationalists. Nobody is going to oppose us.”
Volunteer formations play a key role in the conflict against combined Russian separatist forces in eastern Ukraine. Like the Azov battalion, they are some of Ukraine’s most battle-hardened and experienced forces.
Watch also Ukrainian volunteer Azov battalion erects monument to Prince Svyatoslav in Mariupol
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