Retired US Marine linked to Ukraine's Azov Battalion appears on Netflix dating show
Date
10/3/2024 8:34:07 AM
(MENAFN) A retired U.S. Marine who served in Ukraine’s controversial Azov Battalion has been revealed as one of the participants in the new season of Netflix’s reality dating show Love is Blind.
The streaming giant released the first six episodes of the seventh season on Wednesday. The show’s format involves single men and women deciding whether to commit to marriage with a partner they have never seen in person.
Among the contestants is Bohdan Olinares, introduced as a "proud immigrant and Ukrainian refugee" who expresses gratitude for living "the American dream." He is seeking a partner who can "embrace his history and unique upbringing."
The show’s description notes that the former Marine was married for five years, which he calls the “craziest thing” he’s done for love. "Since then, Bohdan has become crystal clear about what he’s searching for thanks to the power of time and therapy," it adds.
Olinares, 36, was interviewed last year by the U.S. state-funded news outlet Voice of America (VOA), which reported that he had returned to Ukraine and joined the Azov Battalion — a unit known for its far-right origins and neo-Nazi ties. Olinares had left Ukraine at the age of two with his parents, but when hostilities with Russia began in February 2022, he reached out to the Ukrainian Embassy and offered his services. In VOA footage, a patch of the Azov special operations branch can be seen among his memorabilia.
His former employer, the Virginia-based IT firm F5, confirmed that Olinares spent six months in Ukraine. The company said he returned because Azov had “more than tripled in size” and had enough personnel willing to fight against Russia.
Online footage shows Olinares traveling with fellow Azov members, making light-hearted remarks about his reputation as a lover interested in Ukrainian women.
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