I've posted this before in the thread but, for what it's worth, the BBC's Ross Atkins says they've changed a lot since they ceased to be an independent militia and were adopted into the Ukrainian national guard
Then let me spread some hard facts, not about Azov though. But just to give some context about Ukraine.
Enter: Wasil Maruchinez, who was Ukraine's counsel in Hamburg, Germany. So somebody who works officially for that state. And here's a nice picture of him:
He was suspended from his job back in 2018 for a short time period, because Ukrainian video blogger Anatoli Schari disclosed that Maruchinez published on Facebook that it is "honorable to be a fascist", and many other similar posts. This is why Maruchinez was pulled out of Germany.
Schari had founded an own party in the Ukraine, but lives now in the EU. The Ukrainian intelligence agency SBU initiated in 2021 a trial against Schari for treason. Schari refused to go to the Ukraine for this, because he's sure that he will not survive more than 24 hours. In fact he had already some nasty encounters with Ukrainians where he's living in Spain.
The head of the SBU is Ivan Bakanov. Why did he became head of it? Well, because...
he's a childhood friend of Selenskij.
For more background read this, maybe using DeepL or Google Translate:
Der ukrainische Konsul in Hamburg wird wegen haarsträubender Posts auf Facebook suspendiert. Seine Freunde im Ministerium merkten nichts.
taz.de
This is the video where Schari disclosed a lot of Facebook posts, it has English sub titles; he's got around 3 million followers, so is quite able to move the masses:
This is a video where you can see at 14:04 that Maruchinez got from his employees at this 60th birthday a cake with "Mein Kampf" written on it:
Zelenskij doens't like Schari, so he's facing all kind of oppression coming from Ukraine. And he's not the only one.
Again: these events and videos happened before 2022. But it clearly shows that not all is just gold and glory as well here.
Schari for himself though is also no stranger to nazism, because in 2010 he wrote a very bizarre article named "Long live Nazism!".
"Long live Nazism!".
Where he really argued that Ukraine needs Nazism, badly:
"We must not pull the country out of the garbage pit using the rotten rope of nationalism. We need Nazism. As air is necessary, as water. The Nazi idea. Thanks to Adolf Schicklgruber, the idea of Nazism has now become taboo. But, in fact, Hitler built a nationalist state, not a Nazi one! Himmler did not broadcast from the rostrum that all those living in great Germany were of a higher race. He specifically shouted about the Germans. About the glorious descendants of the higher race. Court historians have confirmed the uniqueness of the German breed, and surprised the population of the planet Earth with colossal paleontological discoveries. Doesn't resemble anything? Reminds, of course. Ukrainian historians have almost come close to unraveling the territorial location of the Garden of Eden. He was, of course, in Khoruzhevka. Adam's name was Nicholas, and Eve's name was Paraskaya.
Nazism presupposes the idea of moving a nation forward, regardless of the nationalities of individual members of that nation. The most famous Nazi country is the United States. It is not necessary to talk about the nationality of Americans, because there is simply no such nationality. But pride in one's country spreads out any Korean and African who has a passport with eagles and cacti in his pocket. And the ideology of the Americans is all right. They believe in democracy and private property. Democracy may not smell there, but belief in it moves the nation forward at the speed of sound. The people of the States have unshakable shrines, they have love for their country, they have historical figures who are heroes, and the machine for creating useful, positive myths also works flawlessly.
Today, none of the politicians (with the exception of the Communist Party, but the ideology of communism is by no means unifying on this earth) can really offer Ukrainians a Nazi idea. An idea that would cement the people regardless of the language of communication, place of residence and religion.
At best, thoughts of the nation's proposal of ideas and ideology are transformed into chatter about ideas and ideologies. They chatted and ran away. And the vacuum remained. There are no heroes, no personalities that could be compared to the younger generation. There is nothing to strive for, nothing to build. Although words about construction sound commendable, there is not even a model of what is being built. Maybe a five-story building, or maybe a chicken coop.
Only someone who gives the Ukrainians the Nazi idea will be able to turn over the trough of sewage, proudly called the "state". Only the political force, which, having come to control this so far inverted trough, will start not to harass everyone and everything, but to cast real heroes out of the shining bronze, will bring the country out of a dead end and the nation out of stupor. We seem to have lost one generation. But for the sake of those who will still be born here - GIVE UKRAINE NAZISM!"
Well, Nazis and Ukraine is quite a strange topic for sure!
The song is heavily inspired by a traditional folklore song that is associated with an ancient spring ritual, about the celebration of nature and a new beginning. 'Shum' means noise, but afaik is also the name of a pagan forest god or spirit. The singer performs traditional folklore, too, with that special singing technique called 'white voice'. And - this woman can look so fiercely into the camera that it's possible she can eat your soul when you look too closely. I am a bit in love.
