The USA canceled the ban on the transfer of American weapons to Azov

«Azov» fighters together with brigade commander Denis Prokopenko Telegram / AZOV

Joe Biden's administration has allowed Ukraine's Azov Brigade to use American weapons, reversing a years-old ban.

The Washington Post writes about this with reference to the US State Department.

Now Azov, which has been part of the National Guard since 2015, will have access to the same US military assistance as any other unit.

«After a thorough inspection, the Ukrainian 12th special purpose brigade «Azov» passed the Leahy inspection conducted by the US State Department, the State Department said,» adding that it did not find any evidence of human rights violations by the brigade.

The publication notes that the military unit was banned from using American weapons about 10 years ago because American officials decided that some of its founders held racist, xenophobic and ultra-nationalist views.

The ban was provided by the so-called «Leahy Act», which prohibits the provision of American military aid to foreign units that have committed serious violations of human rights. It is named after former US Senator Patrick Leahy, who authored the legislation.

We will remind that the commander of the «Azov» brigade, Denys Prokopenko (Redis), called for the repeal of the amendments to the US legislation prohibiting the transfer of Western weapons to his brigade.

Lifting the ban has been a priority for Ukrainian officials, who say the brigade could be more effective in defending Azovstal in 2022 if it had access to American equipment. Members of the brigade were also prohibited from attending training organized by the American military.