Canada’s military has reportedly provided combat training to members of Ukraine’s neo-Nazi Azov regiment, contrary to stated policy and despite previous denials of any official relations between Ottawa and the notorious militia.
The apparent connection came to light in photos posted on social media by the Ukrainian National Guard, according to a report on Monday by Radio-Canada. The pictures show soldiers wearing Azov Battalion patches on their uniforms while participating in training with Canadian forces.
“According to Oleksiy Kuzmenko, a journalist specializing in the Ukrainian far right, the presence of these patches strongly suggests that the Azov regiment had access to Canadian military training,” Radio-Canada said in its report. The patches display a crest that is “firmly and exclusively associated with the Azov regiment,” Kuzmenko told the media outlet.