Today, Israel is linked to Ukraine’s Azov Battalion, a neo-Nazi militia. The group was formed after the Russian occupation of Crimea in 2014 and was eventually absorbed into Ukraine’s armed forces. The group is accused of war crimes by the United Nations, and its paramilitary arm, the National Corps, is associated with attacks against local Roma and the LGBTQ community. Despite claims to the contrary, the Azov Battalion still uses the Wollfsangel symbol as part of its uniform, a logo widely used in Nazi Germany and which remains popular with neo-Nazis today. According to multiple reports, the Azov Battalion has used weapons manufactured by major Israeli arms firms like Rafael and Israel Weapon Industries.
In an attempt to whitewash the brigade’s image, an Azov Battalion officer, Illia Samoilenko, visited Israel on a publicity tour organized by local activist group Israel Friends of Ukraine in December. During his trip, Samoilenko met with Naama Lazimi, a Labor Party politician in Israel’s parliament.
Beyond Europe, Israel has supported authoritarian regimes in Africa, Asia, and Central and South America. These relations often involve arms deals, such as the sale of arms and provision of military training to Chile during dictator Augusto Pinochet’s rule from 1973 to 1991. Israel has also sold arms to military regimes in Bolivia and Guatemala in the 1970s and 80s. During this time, Guatemala committed genocide of around 200,000 majority indigenous people. Israeli arms were also used in the Rwandan Genocide and continue to be used in Myanmar’s ongoing genocide against the Rohingya people.
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