Croatia Key to Ukrainian Far-Right’s International Ambitions

But while the war in Ukraine's steel and coal belt bordering Russia may have settled into a tense stalemate, Azov is building in momentum, forging ties with far-right extremists beyond Ukraine's borders.

And Croatia, the newest member of the European Union and a country where conservative currents are strong, is emerging as a key staging ground, according to the findings of a BIRN investigation.

Azov's political wing is forging ties with a right-wing Croatian political bloc that made a strong showing in European elections in May, and the Ukrainian movement will hold a conference in Zagreb in September at which it may unveil plans for a 'Foreign Legion' of far-right sympathisers, built with the help of a Croatian war veteran.

"The Azov movement is growing. And they're growing up fast," said Seler.

Back in 2014, Seler described the war in Ukraine as part of a "struggle for the white European race, its culture and history."

Five years on, Azov's ambitions have found fertile soil in Croatia, where Seler said the movement would further its dream of building "a Europe of the nations".

WWII revisionism

National corps recruitment booth, Maidan, April, 2019. Photo: Michael Colborne

In 2014, after popular protests brought down Ukraine's then pro-Russian president, the country's army found itself helpless against a Russian move to annex Crimea and foment war in the eastern Donbass region.

Volunteer battalions rushed to the country's defence, among them Azov. The unit soon earned a reputation as one of the most battle-committed, but also for its open-door policy to unabashed neo-Nazis.

Far-right groups in Ukraine grew in prominence with their role in the overthrow of President Viktor Yanukovych,...