Neo-Nazis give Kyiv a last line of defence in the east
On a barren expanse of land high above the shimmering Sea of Azov, a group of
heavily armed men, some with their faces covered and at least one sporting a
Nazi logo, were preparing for the defence of Mariupol.
When the volunteer Azov Battalion was formed by a white supremacist four
months ago they were an alarming curiosity; one more unpredictable
consequence of the chaos engulfing Ukraine. Now their 500 fighters are the
most visible barrier to the advance of pro-Russian forces on Mariupol, the
most important city in southeast Ukraine not in their hands.
They patrol the no-man’s land