The US has rescinded its ban on the transfer of American weapons to the Ukrainian Azov Brigade, which has been in place since 2017. From now on, these servicemen will be able to receive the same armed support as all other Ukrainian units.
According to WP, Putin used the radical views of some “Azov Soldiers” in his propaganda, equating them with Nazism. However, an American investigation did not reveal any evidence of Nazi views among the servicemen.
“The brigade could have been more effective during the defense of Azovstal if it had had access to American equipment,” the publication notes.
At the same time, experts from the Institute for the Study of War (ISW) calculated that the US’ permission given to Ukraine to strike positions in the Russian Federation with American weapons applies to only 16% of Russian territory. The ISW calls the change in Western policy “a step in the right direction” but emphasizes that “this is not enough to disrupt the operations of the Russian Armed Forces significantly.”