One of the most famous paramilitary brigades of Ukraine "Azov" returned to the front. Find out where the fighters are carrying out their tasks and what successes they have already achieved

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The legendary Azov Special Forces Brigade of the National Guard of Ukraine, led by commander Denys Prokopenko "Redis", has returned to the front. Here's how the return of the Azovs could affect the morale of russian troops.

What do you know about the Azov Brigade?

The Azov Brigade is rightfully one of the most famous paramilitary units in Ukraine. The soldiers in the brigade regularly perform extremely difficult missions at the front, and strike fear into the russian army.

The Azov Battalion or Azov Regiment, as it is commonly known in Ukraine, was created in 2014 from Ukrainian volunteers who joined forces to fight the militants of the so-called L/DNR pseudo-republics.

The brigade gained popularity in June 2014, when the Azovs liberated Mariupol, which had been captured by terrorists. 

It is worth noting that Azov was initially deployed as a patrol service of the Special Police of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine, but later it was renamed into a regiment and then transferred to the National Guard.

Azov soldiers have always been guided by honor and bravery, performing the most difficult tasks on the front line. Since the beginning of russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine, Azov men have stood up to defend their homeland and continue to bravely fight for the country's independence.

The heroic operation at Azovstal and captivity in russia

The capture of the city of Mariupol, where Azov was stationed, was one of the main goals of the russian occupiers after the full-scale invasion of Ukraine. russia's attempts to occupy the city caused a huge number of civilian casualties. 

For three months, russian troops attacked Mariupol in the most brutal way, despite the fact that civilians were there. During the period of active fighting, the russians destroyed most of the city's civilian and industrial infrastructure.

The only part of the city that the occupiers could not capture was the Azovstal plant, where the Azov Brigade and other equally brave units of the Armed Forces of Ukraine set up positions. For more than 1.5 months, the russians kept the Ukrainian military surrounded at the industrial facility. The heroes of Ukraine bravely defended the last free part of the city, thus enabling the Ukrainian army to accumulate forces and launch its offensive against the enemy positions.

The Azovstal defense operation is associated with the heroic bravery of Ukrainian heroes. However, after 1.5 months, the Ukrainian military leadership ordered the soldiers to leave the plant's territory to save their lives and thus surrender to the russians.

After being captured, the Azov military brigades were tortured and otherwise abused by the russians, but even the most brutal abuse did not break their spirit.

After a while, the Ukrainian side exchanged several hundred soldiers for russians. However, not all of them returned home. Five commanders, including Azov commander Denys Prokopenko (Redis), were taken to Turkey. By agreement, the Ukrainian officers were to remain in the third country until the end of the war.

In July 2023, what the whole of Ukraine had been waiting for happened - the commanders who had been captured at Azovstal returned home. Redis came with them.

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Who is Denis Prokopenko with the call sign Redis?

Denis is a Ukrainian military commander, lieutenant colonel of the National Guard and commander of the Azov Brigade. In his 32 years, "Redis" has achieved considerable success in military affairs. The officer's chest is decorated with such awards as "Hero of Ukraine" with the Order of the Golden Star (the highest degree of honor), the Order of Bohdan Khmelnytsky, III degree, and the medal "For Military Service to Ukraine".

After a difficult period of captivity by the russians, Prokopenko returned to Ukraine and immediately resumed his activities in the Azov Brigade.

On August 16, 2023, "Redis" addressed the Ukrainians and informed them that he was back in the ranks of the brigade and continued to fight.

"My heart, soul and flesh belong to Azov. I am a soldier, not a politician. Therefore, as long as the war continues in the country, I am not interested in any other activities other than military affairs," he emphasized.

He also noted that his main efforts would be directed to manning the Azov unit and to the brigade's combat training. Two days before his address to the Ukrainians, Redis was spotted on the footage of company tactical exercises of the Azovs. There, the commander was already giving advice to the military and supervising their training.

Azov is back

On Thursday, August 17, the National Guard of Ukraine reported that the Azov Special Forces Brigade had regained its strength and began performing combat missions in the Luhansk region.

According to National Guard Colonel Mykola Urshalovych, the brigade was redeployed to the area of Serebryansk forestry in Luhansk region.

It didn't take long for Azov to show any effective action. In just two days, Azov destroyed a russian mortar team and a Bat-2 roadblock.

It is worth noting that the return of the Azov fighters to the battlefield in full force could affect the morale of the russians, and there are at least two reasons for this:

- Despite the harsh conditions in captivity, Azov soldiers and commanders returned to Ukraine and continue to perform combat missions. Although during the prisoner exchange, russian dictator putin demanded that the brigade's officers be kept in Turkey, the Azov men returned home, despite the aggressor country's demands.

- Russian troops know firsthand who the Azov Brigade soldiers are and what difficult tasks they can perform. Moreover, russian propaganda has dubbed our military "terrorists, Nazis, etc.", and for the russian army, which has been zombified by propaganda, the appearance of such soldiers at the front clearly affects morale.

Azov calls on Ukrainians to join the brigade

After returning to the Azov Brigade, Denys Prokopenko recorded a video message to Ukrainians and called on his fellow citizens to join the ranks of the Special Forces Brigade.

We remind you! In recent months, the number of people wishing to join the International Legion of Ukraine has increased several times. Find out about the current requirements for candidates and how to apply for membership under a simplified procedure in our article.

Photo: Azov / Facebook

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